TUESDAY, APRIL 29, 2008- "A complacent satisfaction with present knowledge is the chief bar to the pursuit of knowledge." Basil Liddell Hart, military historian

*********** Don Faurot is by all accounts the inventor of the split-T, from which modern option football derives. He first used it at Missouri in the spring of 1941, and in 1941 the Tigers lost only their opener, 12-7, to Ohio State, and their final game, 2-0, to an 8-1 Fordham club in the mud. In between, they ran off eight straight to finish 8-2.

And then World War II intervened, and Coach Faurot found himself coaching a service football team. Coaching with him - and learning the ins and outs of Coach Faurot's new system - were young coaches named Jim Tatum and Bud Wilkinson. Working with the Master, they learned his offense well.

When the war ended, they would go their separate ways, Tatum and Wilkinson to Oklahoma, where Tatum was head coach, and Faurot back to Missouri. Tatum soon moved on to Maryland and - running the Split-T - won a national championship. Wilkinson succeeded Tatum at Oklahoma and - running the Split-T - he won three national championships.

Coach Faurot, ironically, never enjoyed the level of success that his "students" did.

In an interview years later, he confessed that in the early stages, his running game was so successful that he didn't develop much of a passing game.

In fact, he said, "I never threw a pass from the quarterback spot the first three years. The halfbacks did all the throwing, and we always had a left-handed boy at right halfback so he could throw it going his way. If you wanted to rhrow it quick, you lateralled quick; if you wanted a longer pass, you let him get a bit deeper."

*********** Oregon State placekicker Alexis Serna is one of the better ones in this year's group of seniors, and he will probably find a spot with an NFL club.

But although he is a keeker, he takes justifiable pride in his ability to tackle.

In fact, as the Beavers' kickoff man, he missed only two tackles in his four-year career.

One was against Cal's Marshawn Lynch, Bill's 2006 first round draft choice. The other was against Oregon's Jonathan Stewart, this year's first-round pick of the Carolina Panthers.

"Those guys were beasts," he said.

*********** Photos from the Southern California clinic on Friday ---

The Southern California clinic, held in Santa Clarita and hosted by the Santa Clarita Wildcats organization, was a great success. You have to hand it to coaches who are willing to sit inside on a glorious Saturday morning, but at least they were able to spend the afternoon out on the field at Golden Valley HS, watching Coach John Torres' 12-year-olds perform like veterans.

*********** All over the country, restaurant chains are being hammered by the tightening of the economy. But you would have a hard time convincing me that In-n-Out Burger is feeling any pain.

Its stores totally company-owned (no franchises), In-n-Out Burger is found only in California, Nevada and Arizona, plus one store in Utah. As a result, In-n-Out Burger is developing the sort of "Damn! We can't get it where we live" cachet that Coors Beer once enjoyed. No one, it seems, can visit their part of the country without coming away raving about In-n-Out burgers.

On my recent trip to California, d etermined to finally try it out for myself, I checked one out in Valencia. The burgers are made to order, right in front of your eyes, from fresh ingredients.

Trust me - they are worth a 1,000-mile trip.

*********** Hi Coach Wyatt, Are you missing the sunny SoCal weather yet? Hope the clinic went well. I was scheduled to come down and see you but everyone flaked out on me. I am hoping to see you @ the clinic in May.

After spending a great deal of time (and money) visiting 4 schools in Oregon my son realized that the best fit for him was a D3 school in Thousand Oaks, Ca. called Cal Lutheran. He is looking to major in Communications and Youth Ministries. Selfishly my wife and I couldn't be happier. We will be able to see all of his games and travel up to Tacoma when they play Pacific Lutheran in Sept. The whole recruiting experience was an adventure. In the end Jacob realized he is more of a California boy than he thought. Thankfully it actually came down to the education aspect that sold him on Cal Lutheran(imagine that concept)! It is a great location(about an hour west of your clinic site), they were co-champions in the SCIAC conf. and they offered the type of degree he wanted.

I was shaking my head in regards to the youth coach that wrote you about his HS coach wanting him to run his stuff. You were on the money with your response. Teach kids to block, tackle and love the game. The rest takes care of itself.

We were fortunate to have 2 players from our HS team earn all CIF, we had the Pac 7 League MVP and several all league and all county selections. Almost all of the awards were to players that played youth football and ran your system of the double wing. Our 3 running backs from the Raiders accounted for an All County Def. Back, Offensive Player of the Year (1700 yards) and the All CIF, Pac 7 Player of the Year. All while starting on the team that ran that "smoke and mirrors" offense.

More importantly it transferred into a 9-3 team that went into the 2nd round of the CIF playoffs.

Hope to see you in Lathrop.......

Best,

Mike Norlock, Atascadero, California (Yes, I am missing the sunny California weather already. It's nice to be home, but that climate down there sure is seductive! Coach Norlock, by the way, refers to his son, Jacob, who was one heck of a runner as a middle-schooler. In terms of executing my offense by the book, the Atascadero Raiders of 2003 - I think it was - were one of the best youth Double-Wing teams I have ever seen. HW)

*********** Michelle Wie has never won a professional golf tournament. In fact, she generally avoids competing on the LPGA tour, instead providing a sort of freak show boost to attendance at men's tournaments through something called sponsor's exemptions (basically, you put up the money, you can get a player into the tournament).

Meanwhile Annika Sorenstam is considered to be one of the best women's golfers in the world.

Last year, Michelle Wie's earnings greatly exceeded Annika Sorenstam's.

*********** A Black Lion for a blue-collar city...

Army Fullback Mike Viti, the Cadets' 2006 Black Lion, has signed a free agent contract with the Buffalo Bills.

“I’m just extremely fortunate to get this opportunity,” he said. “I think it’s a good fit. (Buffalo) told me I’m the only rookie fullback they are bringing in. I just look forward to going in and competing.”

At West Point, as one of four regimental commanders, Mike supervises two battalions and eight companies of cadets, amounting to some 1,000 students, or one-fourth of the entire student body.

*********** Saturday night, while socializing at John Torres' house in Castaic, California following my Southern California clinic, a parent of one of the players on Coach JT's team mentioned that he'd been doing some construction work at the home of one "Mr. Abbey," a prominent real estate developer/owner/investor who, the parent told me, had once "played some pro football."

The name hit me right away - could it be Don Abbey, who'd played football at Penn State? (I am a long-time Nittany Lions' fan.)

Bingo. One and the same.

Mr. Donald Abbey was CEO of The Abbey Company, headquartered in Long Beach. His football background was clearly not a part of his professional resume, so it took a bit of digging (nothing like Good Old Google), to determine that Mr. Abbey had, indeed, played football at Penn State, and although drafted by the Dallas Cowboys, had chosen instead to go to graduate school. Following service in the US Navy, he got into real estate in Southern California and in 1990 founded the hugely successful company that bears his name.

On my return home, I dug into my collection of college media guides, and the 1969 Penn State guide told me more about Donald Abbey the football player...

Don Abbey (fullback, 6-3, 240, South Hadley, Mass) was entering his senior year. He'd lettered on the 1967-68  teams (and would go on to do so in 1969 as well,  as the starting fullback).

A little more research revealed that he played a key role in Penn State's rise to football prominence.

To use a real estate analogy that Mr. Abbey might appreciate, in 1967 he was in on the ground floor of the great dynasty that Joe Paterno would go on to build at Penn State,   part of an unusually talented group of sophomores that Coach Paterno shoved into duty in the second game of the season, after Penn State had lost its opener to Navy, 23-22.  

In that second game, the Lions upset Miami, 17-8, and after losing a close one to UCLA (17-15) out on the coast the next week, they didn't lose again in Abbey's three years there, going 30 straight games without a loss (there was a 17-17 bowl game tie with Florida State).  In all, Penn State was 30-2-1 in his three years of varsity ball (no freshman eligibility then). 

Among his teammates who made various All-America teams and/or went on to pro  careers were John Ebersole, Gary Gray, Jack Ham, Franco Harris, Dave Joyner, Warren Koegel, Ted Kwalick, Lydell Mitchell, Dennis Onkotz,  Bob Parsons, Charlie Pittman, Mike Reid, Steve Smear and Charley Zapiec. And Don Abbey, who was drafted 7th by the Cowboys in 1970, along with future Cowboys' greats Duane Thomas, Charlie Waters and Pat Toomay.

I signed two of Don Abbey's teammates - Gary Gray and Dave Joyner - to play in the World Football League.

In those days, Coach Paterno loved to refer to his Penn State football program as his "great experiment," aimed at proving that it was possible to field a big-time football team without compromising a university's principles. He would do it with the kind of people who would play first-rate football but get an education and go on to achieve and contribute well beyond the football field.

To a great extent, he was successful. Now, nearly 40 years later, he can certainly point to Don Abbey as proof.

(Of the two players I signed, Gary Gray became vice-president of an investment firm, and Dave Joyner an orthopedic surgeon in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.)

*********** I found some great lessons for coaches in an address by Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates on April 21, 2008, to the graduating class at West Point Herare some excerpts...

One thing will remain the same. We will still need men and women in uniform to call things as they see them and tell their subordinates and their superiors alike what they need to hear, not what they want to hear.

Here too Marshall (General George C. Marshall) in particular is a worthy role model. In late 1917, during World War I, U.S. military staff in France was conducting a combat exercise for the American Expeditionary Force. General Pershing was in a foul mood. He dismissed critiques from one subordinate after another and stalked off. But then-Captain Marshall took the arm of the four-star general, turned him around and told him how the problems they were having resulted not from receiving a necessary manual from the American headquarters – Pershing’s headquarters. And the commanders said, “Well, you know, we have our problems.” And Marshall replied, “Yes, I know you do, General…but ours are immediate and everyday and have to be solved before night.”

After the meeting, Marshall was approached by other officers offering condolences for the fact he was sure to be fired and sent off to the front line. Instead Marshall became a valued adviser to Pershing, and Pershing a valued mentor to Marshall.

Twenty years later, then-General Marshall was sitting in the White House with President Roosevelt and his top advisers and Cabinet secretaries. War in Europe was looming but still a distant possibility for an isolated America. In that meeting, Roosevelt proposed that the U.S. Army – which at that time was ranked in size somewhere between that of Switzerland and Portugal – should be the lowest priority for funding and industry. FDR's advisers all nodded. Building an army could wait.

And FDR, looking for the military's imprimatur to his decision, said, “Don't you think so, George?” And Marshall, who hated being called by his first name, said, “I'm sorry, Mr. President, I don't agree with that at all.” The room went silent. The Treasury secretary told Marshall afterwards, “Well, it's been nice knowing you.” And it was not too much later that Marshall was named Army chief of staff.

I should note at this point that in my 16 months as secretary of Defense, I have changed several important decisions because of general officers disagreeing with me and persuading me of a better course of action. For example, at one point I had decided to shake up a particular command by appointing a commander from a different service than had ever held the post. A senior service chief persuaded me to change my mind.

On trips to the front, I've also made it a priority to meet and hear from small groups of soldiers ranging from junior enlisted to field-grade officers, and their input has been invaluable and shaped my thinking and decisions as well. All in senior positions would be well-advised to listen to enlisted soldiers, NCOs, and company and field-grade officers. They are the ones on the front line, and they know the real story.

More broadly, if as an officer - listen to me very carefully - if as an officer you don't tell blunt truths or create an environment where candor is encouraged, then you've done yourself and the institution a disservice. This admonition goes back beyond the roots of our own republic. Sir Francis Bacon was a 17th century jurist and philosopher as well as a confidante of the senior minister of England's King James. He gave this advice to a protégé looking to follow in his steps at court: “Remember well the great trust you have undertaken; you are as a continual sentinel, always to stand upon your watch to give [the king] true intelligence. If you flatter him, you betray him.” Remember that. If you flatter him, you betray him.

In Marshall's case, he was able to forge a bond of trust with Roosevelt not only because his civilian boss could count on his candor, because once a decision was made, FDR could also count on Marshall to do his utmost to carry out a policy – even if he disagreed with it – and make it work. This is important because the two men clashed time and again in the years that followed, ranging from yet more matters of war production to whether the allies should defer an invasion on the mainland of Europe.

Marshall has been recognized as a textbook model for the way military officers should handle disagreements with superiors and in particular with the civilians vested with control of the armed forces under our Constitution. So your duties as an officer are:

* To provide blunt and candid advice always;

* To keep disagreements private;

* And to implement faithfully decisions that go against you.

****************************************

Here at West Point, as at every university and company in America, there's a focus on teamwork, consensus-building and collaboration. Yet make no mistake, the time will come when you must stand alone in making a difficult, unpopular decision, or when you must challenge the opinion of superiors or tell them that you can't get the job done with the time and the resources available – a difficult charge in an organization built on a “can-do” ethos; or a time when you will know that what superiors are telling the press or the Congress or the American people is inaccurate. There will be moments when your entire career is at risk. What will you do? What will you do?

These are difficult questions that you should be thinking about, both here at West Point and over the course of your career. There are no easy answers.

But if you follow the dictates of your conscience and the courage of your convictions while being respectfully candid with your superiors while encouraging candor in others, you will be in good stead for the challenges you will face as officers and leaders in the years ahead.

Defend your integrity as you would your life. If you do this, I am confident when you face these tough dilemmas, you will, in fact, know the right thing to do.

*********** Before heading up to Orono for this weekend's UMaine Parent's Banquet and Spring Game, I logged on to read your Friday "NYCU" segment.  The opening story struck me right between the eyes -- the middle school coach who doesn't run the same system as the varsity.  Your reply was:  "As you well know, my belief is that the best thing you can do for him is send him kids who love the game and know how to block and tackle and compete and know what a high school coach will expect of them."
 
I couldn't agree more. Varsity staffs tweak and change their systems every year. In fact, our head coach switched from the Wing T to a more Pro Style system in MID-YEAR, when my son was a senior. (It's actually more of a grab bag series of plays than a real offense ... but I digress.)  I can see asking everyone to use similar terminology (even that's a stretch).  But beyond that, I think it's a total fabrication that running the varsity offense is necessary for lower grades.  The coaches have these kids virtually year-round, anyway. If they can't teach their terminology and formations in a few weeks, either it's too convoluted or they're lousy teachers.
 
Teach young kids to be football players, and they'll learn and succeed in any system.

Mike Brusko, Zionsville, Pennsylvania (When we read about programs that are integrated from top to bottom, they are usually places where the high school coach has been there - and been successful - and been doing pretty much the same thing - for a long time. I think that a greenhorn high school coach fails to realize that before he starts to makes demands on his middle school and youth coaches, he first has to earn that right.

I tell middle-school and youth coaches who come under that sort of pressure from a demanding high school coach to ask him,  "If I switch what I'm doing to what you're doing, what assurance do I have that you'll be running the same thing next year?  Or, for that matter, that you'll even be here in a couple of years?" HW)

*********** The son of the deputy mayor of the little town of Battle Ground, Washington could use a good spanking. Actually, it's probably too late. He's 18 years old, and undoubtedly, like most people his age, has never felt a swat on his rear end.

Not so very long ago, he sent an e-mail to the town council denouncing the newest member of their group, a black man. He was intemperate in his tone, and signed the e-mail "A N--- Hater." He also referred to the mayor as an "N--- lover."

There were no threats, but he is being charged with "Cyberstalking" - which in Washington is a gross misdemeanor, described as corresponding via the Internet with language meant to "harass, intimidate, torment or embarrass."

Sheesh. "Torment?" To think of the a**holes I could have had thrown in the clink If I'd only known.

I have a feeling that the brat in question will go free, because it does seem to me that he will be found to have certain First Amendment protections. Since according to our courts those rights include such boorish behavior as begging on public streets, stripping, and publishing magazines extolling the desirability of man-boy love, they almost certainly will extend to his racial insults, however ugly we may find them to be.

Oh, if only I were king, how much easier things would be. For most of us. I would find the kid guilty of grossly bad manners and uncivilized behavior, and sentence him to a series of spankings, retroactive to include all the ones he deserved - and missed - since he was three years old.

*FRIDAY, APRIL 25, 2008- "The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of the blessings. The inherent blessing of socialism is the equal sharing of misery." Winston Churchill

*********** A successful middle school coach writes...

********** A successful middle school coach writes...

The new (high school) head coach met with me for about an hour to discuss some of the new stuff they will be running on offense.  It is about as far away from what we do as you could get.  He was very kind to point out that he doesn’t expect us to run his stuff but encouraged me to learn about his system and gave me some handouts that showed his formations.  I doubt I’m switching over to his offense, but I hope the other middle school that feeds the high school does.  That should make it easier for us to beat them.  Have a great summer. 

As you well know, my belief is that the best thing you can do for him is send him kids who love the game and know how to block and tackle and compete and know what a high school coach will expect of them.

*********** I think it's called killing the goose that lays the golden egg...

In recent years, Oregon football has crashed the big time.

Ducks' games at Autzen Stadium have become a tough ticket, and big donors have opened their checkbooks, following the lead of Nike founder (and Oregon grad) Phil Knight, once called by another Pac 10 coach (UCLA's Bob Toledo) "the best owner in college football."

One of those big donors recently became Oregon's AD, and one of this first acts of business was to announce that Oregon was going to restart its long-defunct baseball program. Either the Ducks couldn't deal with the fact that the only major national title won by an Oregon school since World War II was won by the hated Oregon State Beavers - in baseball - or the new AD simply loves baseball.

Whatever, along with the new baseball program came the need for a place to play. And the simplest solution - at the time - seemed to be to build it in the parking lot of Autzen Stadium.

Uh-oh. Maybe the big money guys, sipping bloody marys up in their luxury boxes, don't understand tailgating, but down there in the parking lot is where hardcore Ducks' fans tailgate. It's a major event of their social calendar. Many of them have been doing it since the days before tickets were hard to get, and now the new baseball stadium is going to wipe out more than 400 parking spots.

So here's the Duck AD's solution to the problem: Turn a negative into a positive. The peasants want to tailgate? It's going to cost them - $3500 for a car, $5000 for an RV.

Let them eat cake.

*********** An aspiring offensive coordinator wrote...

I have a good QB. I have good wing backs.I will have an athletic B back.I want to be able to pass, to put the ball down the field, to complement running game. I think I should establish this from tight first. Do you agree? If so how can I counter the “But we are too bunched up” remarks.

Yes, you should first teach it all from “Tight.”

The very thing that makes this an effective passing offense is the fact that we are bunched up - and the defense had better bunch up, too.

If they don't, we pound them with our powers.

If they do, we sweep them and we throw over them, because there is a lot of field to attack.

But... if you are still hearing remarks like that, it is obvious that you are surrounded by knuckleheads who simply can't let go of their ingrained thinking, and are never going to consent to running the Double Wing the way it needs to be run.

My recommendation is that you back off and suggest they run something else. If I were an animal breeder who bred champion dogs, I wouldn't let them go to people who wouldn't appreciate them and take care of them. These guys don't deserve to be Double Wing owners because they don't appreciate it and they won't take care of it.

*********** Internet humor, attributed to the Manitoba Herald...

'The flood of American liberals sneaking across the border into Canada has intensified in the past week, sparking calls for increased patrols to stop the illegal immigration.

The actions of President Bush are prompting the exodus among left-leaning citizens who fear they'll soon be required to own a gun, hunt, pray, work for a living, and agree with Bill O'Reilly.

Canadian border farmers say it's not uncommon to see dozens of Sociology and History professors, lawyers, animal-rights activists, Hollywood actors, and Unitarians crossing their fields at night.

'I went out to milk the cows the other day, and there was a Hollywood producer huddled in the barn,' said Manitoba farmer Red Greenfield, whose acreage borders North Dakota.

'The producer was cold, exhausted and hungry. He asked me if I could spare a latte and some free-range chicken. When I said I didn't have any, he left. Didn't even get a chance to show him my screenplay, eh?'

In an effort to stop the illegal aliens, Greenfield erected higher fences, but the liberals scaled them. So he tried installing speakers that blare Rush Limbaugh across the fields. 'Not real effective,' he said. 'The Liberals still got through, and Rush annoyed the cows so much they wouldn't give milk.'

Officials are particularly concerned about smugglers who meet liberals near the Canadian border, pack them into Volvo station wagons, drive them across the border and leave them to fend for themselves.

'A lot of these people are not prepared for rugged conditions,' an Ontario border patrolman said. 'I found one carload without a drop of drinking water. They did have a nice little Napa Valley cabernet, though.'

When liberals are caught, they're sent back across the border, often wailing loudly that they fear retribution from conservatives. Rumors have been circulating about the Bush administration establishing re-education camps in which liberals will be forced to drink domestic beer,  watch NASCAR races and listen to religious music.

In recent days, liberals have turned to sometimes-ingenious ways of crossing the border. Some have taken to posing as senior citizens on bus trips to buy cheap Canadian prescription drugs. After catching a half-dozen young Vegans disguised in powdered wigs, Canadian immigration authorities began stopping buses and quizzing the supposed senior-citizen passengers on Perry Como and Rosemary Clooney hits to prove they were alive in the '50s.

'If they can't identify the accordion player on The Lawrence Welk Show, we get suspicious about their age,' an official said.

Canadian citizens have complained that the illegal immigrants are creating an organic-broccoli shortage and renting all the good Susan Sarandon movies.

'I feel sorry for American liberals, but the Canadian economy just can't support them,' an Ottawa resident said. 'How many art-history majors and lawyers does one country need?'

*********** Shhhhh.

Friday, April 25 has been designated as this year's Day of Silence, billed as an annual day of protest against the bullying and harassment of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) students. Participating students will supposedly spend the school day in silence, supposedly to represent the silencing of LGBT students.

You probably thought I'd say it was a great waste of educational dollars, but you'd be wrong.

My take? Finally - a way to get them to STFU, if only for one day.

*********** I read your bio http://www.coachwyatt.com/about.html, in which you talked about getting into coaching and education at 38 years of age.  Having an Ivy League pedigree and then just shooting out at right angles to a whole different career, plus with a family, must have taken some courage.  This prompted me to ask a question.  I am 42 years old.  I have a PhD in physics and engineering and make a large salary at a major semiconductor company's research lab.  My three sons began football a few years ago.  After watching - what I perceived to be - some awfully inept coaching of my first son, I decided to coach my second son's flag football team and took them to an 8-1 season.  The next year I moved with the same boy to Pop Warner Mitey Mite youth football; our team after struggling early went 5-4.  We ran a Single Wing offense and Wide Tackle 6-2 defense (started as Goal line 6-5 but needed the lone safety back to stop the long breakthrough).

My question.  I would like to switch into teaching and coaching football, but I'm not sure of where to start.  I taught some night classes at a local community college last spring to see how that went; I liked it.  My fear is supporting my family on a teacher's salary.  What level of teaching?  I probably could teach at college level, but my football coaching experience would probably more likely be at a lower level.  Any words of advice?

I wouldn't say that my move from the marketing field to coaching took courage as much as blind faith in the future. Believe me, there were long stretches where I was pretty hard on myself for what I'd gotten us into.
In your case, it would seem possible to make the move to teaching and coaching at the high school level, because I believe that science teachers are still in demand, and a school would consider it quite a bonus to be able to hire a science teacher who also wants to coach (there is also a shortage of people outside the PE who want to coach).

There is, of course, the money problem, and there are no easy answers there.

The only way you are going to make BIG money in coaching is at the very top - the NFL or college Division I - and, realistically, your late start makes that a very slim possibility. You would have to serve an "internship" as a graduate assistant in a college program, which essentially pays nothing, but the chances of your getting a graduate assistantship are equally slim, because colleges are limited by the NCAA in the number they can offer, and there are simply too many eager young guys coming out of college every year and getting into the pipeline.

I am not as familiar with the junior college level as I might be, because we no longer have JC football in the Northwest, but my impression is that they do not ordinarily have more than a few full-time coaching positions on their staffs; in fact, I gather that most JC coaches also teach, just as they would in high school.

Since there are a lot more high schools than junior colleges, I would say that if you want to teach and coach at a school, your best shot is at the high school level.

Teachers' salaries will vary greatly, depending on the area of the country you're in, but it is safe to say that a starting salary normally would be at least $35,000 in most metro areas.

With advanced degrees, the pay could be maybe 10-15 per cent more for a master's degree and another 10-15 per cent for a doctorate, and I am told that there are some places that have begun to do the smart thing and offer more money in high-demand/short-supply fields (I would think that science would be such a field).

Add to that an assistant coach's stipend of maybe $3000 (it will also vary), and perhaps an assistant position in a spring or winter sport, and it is possible to add another $5,000-6,000.

That means that it is conceivable that a person with your credentials in your part of the country might start out at in the area of $45,000 or more.

There is some time off in the summer, but you might not have as much time as you think to take on another job, depending on what your head coach's requirements are on the off-season.

These dollar figures I've given you are just general, but they are matters of public record, and you might want to contact the human relations departments at a couple of school districts in your area to find out what they really are.

You also might want to find out what sort of "education" courses are required for you to be "certified." You don't want me to get started on that nonsense, which in my mind is primarily a conspiracy between the teachers' unions and teacher training insitutions to scratch each other's backs. I have heard that in fields of high demand and low supply, some certification requirements are postponed, if not waived entirely.

I think that when all is said and done it is a quality-of-life issue. You are not going to make a lot of money teaching and coaching. But there are rewards that can't be measured, non-monetary rewards that you can't begin to match in almost any other field except perhaps the military or the clergy.

Just as with the military or the clergy, I think there is a "call" to teach and coach.

Finally, I will say this. If you can handle it financially, I don't see anything wrong with your getting in at 42. I know guys who got into it right out of college, and by 50 they were done. They'd had enough. I think that the fact that I got into coaching late explains why coaching never lost its pull on me.

*********** IN suburban Beaverton, Oregon, a school is unable to use its girls' softball field because it has been determined that the new, $100,000 dugouts lack sufficient handicap access.

*********** One day, God forbid, we may again have a draft. But if and when we do, mark my words - there will be fighting in the streets. Especially when they find out that they'll have to strip in front of other men.

*********** It's that time of the year when we began reading about this or that "Teacher of the Year." In my opinion, after years as a teacher and the husband of one, it's mostly a crock of sh--.

My suspicion is a that lot of administrative and school board and PTA ass kissing goes into "earning" those awards. With today's softie bureaucrats in charge of schools, I don't think that anyone who spends his fall afternoons coaching football is going to get one of these awards any time soon.

*********** Coach: Before I spend an hour or so reading the rule book I thought I would pose a few questions to you. All but 1 player must be set 1 full second before the snap...

This all goes back to rules makers' attempt to deal with Knute Rockne's Notre Dame shift, which was so precise that the ball would be snapped the instant his players completed their shift. Ever since, the entire team has been required to be set for one full second, before snapping the ball.

You can do a multiple-man shift, so long as the entire team is set for one full second.
Following that pause, you can snap the ball. or send a man in motion. Or shift again.

What you can't do is shift and then immediately send a man in motion. The team must have been set for a full second after the shift, or else, when the ball is snapped, you will have been deemed to have more than one man in motion.

A player may not be moving towards the line of scrimage at the snap.What are the do's and don't of presnap shifting? Can a player come out of a 3 point stance once he is set?

Backs and ends can come out of 3-point stances and shift or re-set. Interior linemen (the men inside the men on the two ends of the line) cannot. I tell them that when they put their hands down they are putting them in cement.

Can the Qb move from under center?

The QB can shift or go in motion after going under center, but you'd better check with your game officials beforehand just to make sure they agree. I shift into punt formation - my QB is usually my punter, and he first lines up under center, then backpedals to his spot 10 yards back. You can actually run most of your offense from this formation by snapping the ball either to him or to the B-Back (who is offset to a spot behind the guard to the side of the kicker's foot) as he is back-pedalling. Some people I know will occasionally send the QB in motion and then direct-snap it to the B-Back on an old-fashioned wedge play.

*********** In response to a coach who asked me to list the pros and cons of an unbalanced single wing...
While an unbalanced line will surely cause problems for defenses, so, too will a balanced line single wing. And the unbalanced line could wind up causing more problems for you than for your opponents.

One big problem with a full-time unbalanced line single wing attack is that you are totally locked in - totally committed to it - and as a result you will have to have backups at 11 completely different positions. There is no tranferrability from one line position to another, which means serious depth problems for most teams.

At least with our balanced-line system, one reserve guard can back up two positions, and the same goes for tackles, ends, and - if you choose to employ a direct-snap double-wing - wingbacks, too.

And if you play single wing, you can go to formation left without having to flip the entire team.

I find I have had a much easier time going from base balanced-line to an occasional unbalanced line than when I ran a dedicated unbalanced line and wanted to go balanced.

For what it is worth, the most successful major-college single wing offenses in the so-called "modern" era - since 1950 - were balanced line teams, Tennessee and UCLA. (General Neyland at Tennnessee chose to run a balanced-line because, one of his former players, Andy Kozar, told me, the tailback hit the off-tackle hole quicker!)

Nowadays, you could probably run a balanced line single wing and pass it off as shotgun, especially if you were to split an end, or even both ends. (I think you would have trouble doing that with an unbalanced line.)

*********** A little political satire, from scrappleface.com

Sensing an opportunity to portray Sen. Barack Obama as elitist and out of touch after his remarks about “bitter” rural Americans who cling to guns, God and xenophobia, Sen. Hillary Clinton stopped after church today at an indoor gun range, where she fired roughly 300 rounds through a handgun she said she carries concealed everywhere she goes.

Her lower lip bulging from a dip of Skoal, Sen. Clinton put her Bible in her handbag, and drew out her own Para Ordnance Warthog .45 caliber pistol.

As reporters looked on, the Democrat presidential candidate emptied one 10-round magazine after another, with fair accuracy, at a human silhouette target.

“Small town folk like us,” said Sen. Clinton, “don’t cling to God or guns because we’re bitter about the economy, as my opponent suggests. We believe in God because he’s real, and we keep and bear arms as the best insurance against tyrants who would strip our freedoms if they didn’t fear our collective power.”

As for the economy, the candidate said, small-town people haven’t been sitting on their hands since the steel and textile mills closed 25 years ago.

“We’re Americans,” she said, “We’re not a bunch of cry babies. Things change. We deal with it. We suck it up, learn a new skill, and do something else to earn the money we need to buy stuff, you know, like Bibles and bullets.”

TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2008- "Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch; nay, you may kick it about all day like a football, and it will be round and full at evening." Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

*********** Coach,
When I read your comments about the NFL possibly going into Canada, I remembered reading about the Canadian Football Act. Do you remember the Canadian Football Act from your WFL days?
Steve Tobey
Malden, Mass.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto_Northmen

(I sure do.  It was designed to protect the CFL, and as a result, the WFL Toronto Northmen (whose rich owner, John  Bassett, was the one who lured Czonka, Kiick and Warfield away from the Dolphins) were forced to move to Memphis (and become the Memphis Southmen). HW)

*********** If there is anybody who could screw up Div 1-A football's post season better than the NCAA already has, it would have to be the same people who gave us Title IX, Congress. Now they want to investigate the NCAA because they have a screwed up post season that they say is unfair and violates some anti-trust law.
 
Congress says postseason is unfair: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/fb/fbc/5709673.html
 
University of Texas says that their Holiday Bowl win was a "loss":
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/colleges/topstories/stories/041808dnspoutlede.37214ae.html
 
And of course some mandatory wikipedia article on Title IX:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Title_IX
 
I still wonder when Kellogg's is going to sponsor a 7AM bowl game featuring two teams with a less than 6-6 record and call it the Cereal Bowl. I wonder how many people would wake up that early to watch it.

Lloyd Kempson,
Lake Worth, Texas

Hahahaha.

You have no doubt noticed that one of the congressmen complaining about the BCS represents Hawai'i, a second represents Idaho (Boise State) and a third is a Georgian. (Georgia, as everyone loyal Bulldogs' fan knows, should have played for the national title.)

From their standpoint, it's the ideal bill - it plays to their constituents,  it gets them exposure in the sports pages, and it doesn't cost a damn thing.

Unlike Title IX, whose costs continue to climb.

*********** One of my favorite drives is to go from where I live, in Southwest Washington, about 150 miles to the east, to Central Washington's Yakima Valley. I made the drive again last week.

The first hour and a half winds through the Columbia River Gorge, first where the river, before it was harnessed by dams, has carved its way through the Cascade Range, then, east of the Cascades, through the part where the river has cut its channel through the high desert plateau. In the space of just a few miles, the climate radically changes - the trees, which grow by the millions on the "Wet Side" and in the mountains, all but disappear and give way to sage brush.

Then the road swings to the north, climbing steeply up from the river to begin a twisting run through the kind of wild country that most of us see only in old Western movies. It is 50 miles with no services and little sign of human habitation, 20 miles to the top at Satus Pass, then 30 more miles through the rugged Yakama Indian Reservation, until finally descending into the vast, fruitful Yakima Valley (the people of the Yakama Nation prefer spelling it with the "a").

Here, it's no longer the Washington of wooded coastlines and snow-capped mountains, but more like California's Central Valley.

Reflecting the huge role agriculture has always played in the Valley's economy, a large percentage of the population is Hispanic. But a great many of the Hispanic people living here are third- and fourth-generation Americans. They are not immigrants. They have no intention of "going back" to any place. They are Americans. Their kids may speak Spanish at home, and occasionally among themselves, but they are Americans in every sense of the word.

And many of them play football. Not futbol, either. Football. American football.

Last week, I had a chance to work with some of those kids in the small town of Toppenish, where Jason Smith has taken over the football program. Coach Smith has been a teacher at Toppenish as well as its track coach, and when the job came open after a 2-8 season last year, he applied, and got it.

Lots of things have to happen to turn any program around, of course, and Toppenish is no exception, but based on my experience working with those kids, there is a level of talent, of enthusiasm, of coachability that gives the Toppenish Wildcats a fighting chance.

*********** A preacher calls on God to damn America... our President is called all manner of vile things by people who aren't worthy of wiping his bottom.... a week ago, Bill Maher honored the Pope's visit to America by calling the Roman Catholic Church a cult.

But. hey - this is America, and one of the freedoms we enjoy is freedom of speech, right? Why, brave Americans died on foreign shores to defend that freedom. (I personally have my suspicions about any guys putting themselves in harm's way to defend college students' right to protest.)

So why, I wonder, did CNN, which has no qualms whatsoever about attacking our President, feel forced to apologize to China because one of its commentators called the goons and thugs that run China goons and thugs, and the junk that they sell us junk?

Interesting that as much as we value our freedom of speech, a freedom which is used to justify pornographers and beggars alike, a major American corporation will roll over and surrender that right to our dear friends the Chinese, who as we all know treat all people humanely, treat the planet with respect, and would never use even the threat of armed force unless China itself were to come under attack.

(Not that it isn't a pleasant prospect to contemplate the Chinese taking out CNN. If they'd like, they can have Bill Maher, too.)

*********** It's just one of the differences between us and the Russians, but it's telling...

Danica Patrick finally wins a race and in the US it's billed as an inspiration for our little girls and a victory for women everywhere.

A Russian space capsule with three people on board lands 260 miles from its target, and the chief of the Russian space agency says it quite possibly was because two of the crew members were women.

*********** Just in case you had any doubts about the moral fibre of today's school administrators, I got this from a reader...

A couple weeks ago you had the article "The Customer Is Always Right" in your News article. I told you that I had forwarded it to a number of the teachers at my school so they could enjoy it also. I guess one of them decided to forward it to my Principal and , you guessed it, I got "called into the office" to "discuss the issue". Seems that sending that e-mail out constitutes having a "bad attitude", and the administration wants to make sure I work on changing that attitude. Sigh...

Hmmmm. If that's the way you think, there must be something wrong with you. Scary. Does this sound like the old Soviet Union and its thought control, or what?

*********** A sure sign that the Obama campaign is in trouble... Boston radio guy Howie Carr asked listeners and visitors to his Web site to decide who was the bigger snob - Obama or Kerry.

You wouldn't think there anyone alive could give Lord John any competition on that score, but Obama actually got 32 per cent of the votes.

*********** How many of us have allowed the emotions of the moment, especially after a bitter loss, to cause us to say things we later regretted saying?

I'm enjoying reading Tony Dungy's "Quiet Strength," a gift from my friend Kevin Latham, and one of the many impressive things about Coach Dungy is that he is very careful about what he says, when he says it, and whom he says it to.

Negative as it may sound, it's not a bad idea for a coach to have a statement ready in advance in the event of a loss, rather than coming off the top in his disappointment and saying something that could do permanent damage to his program.

A good example of a prepared statement is the one that General Dwight Eisenhower had ready, on the chance that the D-Day landing might not succeed:

“Our landings…have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold and I have withdrawn the troops.  My decision to attack at this time and place was based upon the best information available.  The troops, the air, and the Navy did all that bravery and devotion to duty could do.  If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt, it is mine alone.” 

*********** Crown Point, Indiana has been in the news lately, first because it's where Hillary Clinton threw down something that looked like a shot of whiskey (an old B-girl trick), and second because last week a truckload of human feces spilled onto a road there.

Human feces. Imagine the cleanup. Imagine explaining how your car skidded out of control.

The Indiana Department of Transportation cited the driver for an unsecured load. (How do you tie down "human feces?)

*********** The concept of polygamy was once considered so odious to a Christian nation that only after the LDS Church renounced it was Utah admitted to the Union.

But we are becoming more and more a secular nation, and many things once considered odious to a Christian nation are increasingly accepted.

For example, where once there was shame attached to illegitimacy, now it is common practice for celebrities to raise children without benefit of marriage, and in many of our cities, the vast majority of children are born out of wedlock.

We routinely confer the legality (if not the sanctity) of marriage on same-sex couples, and allow them to adopt.
We even accept artificial insemination of lesbian couples (I don't even want to know if it's covered by my health plan).

As gays are fond of saying, "love makes a family"....

So can someone please tell me why we're still getting so worked up over polygamy?

And can someone please tell me why we're getting so excited about pregnant 13-year-old girls at a commune in Texas when it's relatively commonplace for 13- and 14-year-old girls in the inner city to become mothers?

***********  I have been working hard and studying the system.  I have two questions I was hoping you could help me with:
 
1.  The color system is a great way to communicate the basic set plays and quarterback steps.  As a compliment to the run game, it is what we need.  I am a little confused on how you adjust or custimize the passing game.  It appears to get "wordy"  I am concerned about accurately communicating changes to the huddle from sideline.  (granted this is a run run run run first offense and from scouting their will be pregame adjustments to passes, I am still concerned)
 
Coach, it's the nature of the game that pass plays tend to be wordier.   It used to be the joke in semi-pro ball that the longer the offense stayed in the huddle, the greater the likelihood that it was going to be a pass.

Our simplest passes - our play-action passes - are easily called, because the default routes are built in.  Examples would be 47 Brown/56 Black.

It's when you want to customize by changing one of the routes that it can begin to get wordy - but Ripper 47 Brown X Post-Corner is not that long.  Dating back to the old days when almost anyone could remember a seven-digit phone number, I have always tried to stay within seven bits of info in calling a play.
 
2.  2 minute offense.  Is it best just to use the same color system in calling 2 minutes?  How have you worked the run into that system?

In all my plays, I use play cards in wrist coaches.  On all the players. Not just the quarterback.  That's how I get the plays in.   In a hurry-up situation, we dispense with the huddle and line up at the line and I call - or wig-wag - the play coordinates on their cards. Here's how my play-calling setup works:

http://www.coachwyatt.com/playgrid1.html

*********** Hugh,

How are you? It sounds like the Cannon School made a great choice. I had a very preliminary interview with them back about 8 years ago for a history teaching job. I'm surprised they have not started a football program sooner, but it looks as though they are certainly going about it in the right way.

I also enjoyed a few weeks back your mention of Dave Potter's Meet & Greet Drill. After a fairly long New England winter of discontent for me after the debacle of our football season here at Forman, I spent a lot of time thinking of ways to be a better coach and also challenging myself to grow up more as a coach. I have been taking a decidedly different approach with my JV lacrosse team this spring in truly emphasizing the bigger picture of life and how their experience on the field will help them develop into mature adults. We have yet to even mention wins and losses. And I am truly enjoying the coaching of these kids in a way that I never have before.

Many of my kids, as you know, struggle with a variety of learning problems and as such they also have very weak social skills. Early in the season I showed my assistant coach the practice plan for the day and on it was the "Meet & Greet" Drill. He initially thought it was a hitting drill. He is our Academic Dean, and a stickler for etiquette, so as you might imagine he was thrilled to know what the true nature of the drill was. So we now regularly run the drill and like Dave Potter's teams I appoint a group of kids before each game to go and introduce themselves to the opposing coach and thank them for hosting us. We have our home opener on Wednesday, so the kids will welcome the coach to Forman. I have gotten nothing but positive feedback from the other coaches, some of whom have said, "hey I want to do that too!"

I wish you safe travels in your clinic season and I am hoping to come to Providence if my schedule allows. Take care,

Sam Keator, Litchfield, Connecticut

*********** Coach Wyatt,
 
I have enjoyed your site news on Boothbay Harbor, Maine and coach Jack Tourtillotte. Jack is one of the finest men I have met in football in my 29 years coaching the game. Coach Tourtillotte gave me my copy of the Toss  book when it would cost you your first born to buy it. Our old staff at Memorial H.S. still talks about Jack and the night he enlightened them on the Double Wing at your clinic. I have also had a free private clinic one on one with Jack which was priceless at any cost. Thank you, Coach Tourtillotte, for your contributions to this great game.
 
A few days ago I spoke to my wife about the Boothbay job. She loves the area, as anyone would. Since I am not a certified teacher perhaps I could be a lobster taster. A profesional who helps assure quality control by eating large amounts of lobster. Can I sell Jack on this?
 
As you know I am a Wyatt disciple of the Double Wing and it has served me and my players very well. I have researched every bit of information from every coach that makes it available and have found your system to be number one. I'll see you in Providence!
 
John Trisciani
Head Football Coach
Trinity H.S.
Manchester, New Hampshire

*********** Once again, the Law of Unintended Consequences reveals itself...

A new law requiring employers in Europe to limit their workers’ exposure to potentially damaging noise is now being applied to - orchestras and bands.

A member of an English orchestra, told that he and his colleagues would have to wear earplugs during rehearsals and performances of certain pieces, said, “It’s like saying to a racing-car driver that they have to wear a blindfold."

When this thinking gets to the US, as it undoubtedly will, what will happen to college football coaches at places like LSU and Oregon?

*********** Was that really the Washington Wizards wearing those goony-ass uniforms against the Cleveland Cavaliers Saturday, and not the Washington Generals?

*********** The Mongols are coming! The Mongols are coming!

Police all over Oregon, but especially in the cities of Portland, Salem and Eugene, are bracing themselves for what could become a biker war, with the California-based Mongols facing a conglomeration of Oregon-based gangs.

The better-known California-based Hells Angels and the Portland-based Gypsy Jokers, Oregon's best-known and most-feared gang, have long agreed to stay out of each other's territory.

The Mongols are well known in the Golden State for their violent rivalry with the Angels, but until recently, they, too, stayed south of the border.

In my judgment (from the vantage point of my 450 cc Honda), I wouldn't expect the Oregon bikers to roll over. Not if they're all like the Gypsy Jokers.

Since the time several years ago when some apologist for motorcyclists stated that "99 per cent of all bikers are decent, law-abiding citizens," the Gypsy Jokers have worn small, diamond-shaped patches on their jackets that read "1 %er."

FRIDAY, APRIL 18, 2008- "What we want is to see the child in pursuit of knowledge, not knowledge in pursuit of the child." George Bernard Shaw

*********** Donnie Hayes, of St. Cloud, Florida, was at my Atlanta clinic in February, and he was also at the Charlotte clinic this past Saturday. At the Atlanta clinic, it was as head coach at Viera High School, but at Charlotte, it was as the new head coach of Cannon School, in Concord, North Carolina.

This is very exciting and gratifying to me. I have followed Coach Hayes' career very closely, from when he was a very successful youth coach in suburban Detroit who wanted to become a career coach, to his decision to change careers and pursue his dream, to his move to his native Florida to improve his chances of making things happen, to an assistant's job, to a coordinator's position, to a head job at a startup high school, to this...

Following an extensive search, Cannon School has hired Donnie Hayes to lead the school’s first football program, which will begin in the 2008-09 school year. Coach Hayes joins Cannon from Viera High School in Viera, FL, where he oversaw the implementation of their football program and served as head coach for two seasons. Hayes has more than 10 years of coaching experience at the high school and middle school levels, as well as experience as a college and semi-professional football player.

“We are excited to have Donnie Hayes as our first head football coach,” said Ron Johnson, Cannon’s director of athletics. “It was clear in the interview process that Donnie has a passion for developing young men both on and off the field and he has a solid blend of being a great mentor, teacher, and coach.”

In addition to his coaching responsibilities, Hayes will serve as a Middle School science teacher at Cannon. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology Education from Norwich University in Northfield, VT, and has taught science and math in Florida, where he also holds a Middle School Grades Integrated Curriculum Certification.

Cannon School decided to add football to its flourishing athletics program after several years of research and conversations both within its school community and with schools offering established and relatively new football programs. Cannon will field a team comprised of students from grades seven through nine. The boys will practice together as a single team and the Cougars will compete against 7th-8th grade and 8th-9th grade opponents, the first step in a three-to-four year plan to build a program that will grow to include junior varsity and varsity teams.

A six-member search committee comprised of teachers, administrators and board members met over three months and reviewed more than 120 applicants for the position before making a final recommendation to Cannon’s Head of School, Matt Gossage.

“We knew we wanted to hire someone who appreciates in the fullest sense the concept of the student-athlete,” said Johnson. “Donnie has a very clear understanding regarding the challenges of building a competitive football program, and he is excited to get started.”

Hayes will finish his teaching responsibilities at Viera High School before officially joining Cannon School on campus early this summer. In the meantime, he and Johnson will begin interviewing candidates for assistant coaching positions and make plans for off-season workouts to prepare students for tryouts in August.

Next fall, Cannon School will compete in the Charlotte Independent Schools Athletic Association (CISAA) conference, joining Charlotte Christian School, Charlotte Country Day School, Charlotte Latin School, and Providence Day School in 3A athletics competition.

Cannon School is an independent, nonsectarian, college preparatory institution serving more than 900 students in Junior Kindergarten through Grade 12. Cannon School is conveniently located on a 65-acre campus on Poplar Tent Road near the Cabarrus/Mecklenburg county line. It is the fourth-largest independent school in the greater Charlotte area and attracts students from Concord, Davidson, Cornelius, Huntersville, Mooresville, Charlotte, Kannapolis, and Salisbury. Cannon School is fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS).

My wife and I briefly toured the Cannon School's beautiful campus, about 30 minutes' drive north of downtown Charlotte. Its athletic facilities - the football field is already under construction - are excellent.

Interestingly, when one of the coaches at the Charlotte clinic asked Coach Hayes what the people at Cannon School thought about his running the Double-Wing, he said that in all of his many interviews, he was never asked about his offensive or defensive system.

In other words, the people at Cannon School hired a football coach, and they trust him to be the expert in his department. What a concept!

*********** New Masters champion Trevor Immelman was in New York City following his win, and while attending a Knicks-Celtics game at Madison Square Garden, he was invited into the Celtics' locker room by coach Doc Rivers.

Immelman admitted that since he lives near Orlando he is a fan of the Magic, he said has great admiration for the Celtics' Big Three.

He said of the Celtics, "they're all golfers, and they were congratulating me."

When it was pointed out to him that it seems to be common for so many great athletes, no matter their sport, to want to be great golfers, the 5-9 Immelman said, "I'd like to be able to dunk a basketball."

*********** Maybe the cost of his divorce is getting to Michael Jordan, because the word in Charlotte is that although MJ is a part-owner of the Charlotte Bobcats, he won't appear at a Bobcats' game and sign autographs unless he is compensated.

*********** President Franklin D. Roosevelt said it best - "A day that will live in infamy."

He was talking about December 7, 1941, the day the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.

He might just as well have been talking about December 7, 2008.

That's the day the NFL has scheduled the Buffalo Bills to play a "home" game - a regular-season game - in Toronto. Canada. Toronto is about 1-1/2 hours' drive from Buffalo, and it's much, much larger. Buffalo's economy has been in the tank for years, and Buffalo continues to shrink as many of its people move elsewhere for work. Toronto, meanwhile, is one of the largest metro areas in North America.

Prediction: give it five years and Buffalo, now the smallest of the NFL markets, will be without an NFL team. The NFL would LOVE to become international, and it wouldn't let respect Buffalo's traditions stand in its way. It wouldn't be the first time the NFL screwed Buffalo - in 1950, when the All-America Football Conference "merged" with the NFL, only three teams from the AAFC were absorbed into the NFL. They were Cleveland, San Francisco and Baltimore. There was no good reason to select Baltimore over Buffalo, which had better facilities (hard to think of old War Memorial Stadium as better than anything, but it was) and far better attendance.

As for the CFL, and the effect on it of an NFL team in Toronto - if the NFL is willing to piss on the fans of Buffalo, do you think it's worried about Canadian fans?

SHOTS FROM THE CHARLOTTE CLINIC AT SOUTH MECKLENBURG HIGH SCHOOL...

SOME OF THE SOUTH MECKLENBURG SABRES WHO HELPED MAKE THE CLINIC A SUCCESS BY DEMONSTRATING THE DOUBLE-WING FOR THE COACHES IN ATTENDANCE - MANY THANKS TO THE BOYS AND TO HEAD COACH JAMES MARTIN (FAR LEFT), AND COACHES KEVIN HINSON (THIRD FROM LEFT , STANDING) AND JONATHAN WILLIS (FAR RIGHT)

*********** I had to laugh listening to Carmelo ("Don't be a snitch") Anthony apologizing for his DUI arrest. He noted that the timing was especially bad, with the playoffs coming up, "to have this happen."

Like he had no control over things - like, out of the blue, something just "happened" to him.

*********** Darren McFadden has to be tantalizing to the NFL personnel guys. He has so-o-o-o-o much ability. But, man - he's got some issues. That serious toe injury a few years ago? Turns out it resulted from kicking a guy. And although he has escaped one paternity suit, he's got a couple more hanging over his head that won't be resolved until the babies are born. No doubt in my mind. He's ready for the NBA - er, NFL.

*********** Dear Coach Wyatt:
 
As a person who  spent time in Finland, I thought you might appreciate this video of a Finnish Rock Group, "The Leningrad Cowboys",performing in Russia.  The tune?  Sweet Home Alabama!  Backup vocals courtesy of the Red Army Choir.  Crazy getups, but actually, they don't do a bad job!
 
http://www.tothepointnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3114&Itemid=76

Mark Rice, Beaver, Pennsylvania
Hahahaha!

The Finns, thoroughly westernized, take great delight in ridiculing their more culturally-backward "neighbor" to the east. The Leningrad Cowboys were a group of Finns that got their start in the 1980s as a sendup of a Russian rock 'n' roll band. They made a hilarious movie (done in Finnish with English subtitles) called "Leningrad Cowboys Go America."

*********** I'm betting Pacman Jones plays somewhere this year. I'm also betting that before the season is over he will do something stupid and vulgar, if not illegal.

*********** Hugh -
 
From the Chicago Sun-Times today. I KNOW you will appreciate the question and answers segment on holding.
 
I guess when you are going to make at least 5 million a year or more, it is okay to cheat. Granted, this kid is a stud and I would love to have him but did he really need to talk openly about circumventing the rules?
 
The question becomes...if your holding, and the referee does not see it, is it really holding? Kind of like the tree falling in the woods with nobody around to see or hear it - does it make a sound??
 
Best,
 
Bill Murphy, Chicago

 
SPOTLIGHT: JAKE LONG
6-7 | 315 | OFFENSIVE TACKLE | MICHIGAN

Q: How many sacks did you give up in college?

A: I gave up one sack this year. I've given up two in my career. This year it was Vernon Gholston at Ohio State. I take it personally. I wanted to make sure that I was perfect and not let up a sack but Vernon is a great player and he had a good move on me and I let it up. I think it was against Michigan State my redshirt freshmen year that I allowed one.

Q: Is it true you only had one penalty in your whole college career?

A: I actually got one this season. I had a false start against Northwestern, but those were my only two penalties. My redshirt freshman year I had a holding penalty.

Q: Penalty-free football, what does that speak to?

A: Discipline. I always try to play focused and disciplined, tight and sound.

Q: Are there times during your penalty-free streak that you thought, 'That was a hold and they could have gotten me there'?

A: Absolutely. I'll admit that I hold. I'll get my hands inside and hide it that I'm holding. I try to hide it so that the refs can't see it.

Q: Is that a skill? That you can do it and not get caught? Have you gotten better at it over the years, avoiding the flag?

A: I think it is a skill if you can get away with it and not get caught. I try to make sure I get my hands inside every single play so that if I do hold a little bit the refs will not be able to see it.

What a wonderful example of the value of football! Tell me football doesn't build character! Show people this when they have the temerity to ask why taxpayers should continue to subsidize it in our schools! Wouldn't it be great if all our future politicians and lawyers and doctors and business leaders could play football? What a great way to teach them essential life lessons - discipline, hard work, dependability, and it's not illegal if you don't get caught!

*********** And you wonder why Al Gore has gone into hiding...

We awoke early to catch our flight home Wednesday. It was Durham, North Carolina, and it was April 16. And we had to scrape frost off our windshield.

We arrived home to hear on the news that this past winter in the Northwest was so severe that Washington had to spend $9 million more on snow removal than budgeted.

Thursday night's game between the Triple-A Portland Beavers and the Colorado Springs in Colorado had to be postponed because of snow and temperatures in the low 20s.

And in the Portland area, they're predicting snow this weekend at elevations as low as 500 feet.

*********** In 2005, Marcus Borden, a high school football coach in East Brunswick, New Jersey, sued his school district, saying that its policy prohibiting faculty members from participating in student-led prayers violated his constitutional rights.

In July 2006, the United States District Court for New Jersey found for Coach Borden, ruling that he could bow his head and bend his knee when the team captains led the team in prayer.

But on Tuesday, three judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit overturned the lower court’s ruling.

Judge D. Michael Fisher wrote in his opinion that “the conclusion we reach today is clear because he organized, participated in and led prayer activities with his team on numerous occasions for 23 years.”

“Thus,” Fisher went on, “a reasonable observer would conclude that he is continuing to endorse religion when he bows his head during the pre-meal grace and takes a knee with his team in the locker room while they pray.”

*********** The word is out.

I think.

http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080416/SPORTS/804160359

The offense Army has been working on in secret this Spring is the wishbone.

I think.

It's hard for me to contain my excitement.  

If true.

If true, Coach Stan Brock has bought himself another two or three years, in the eyes of what's left of Army's fan base. They will patiently endure the growing pains of a newly-installed wishbone. They will storm the ancient fortress, high above the Hudson, if they see any more pro-I futility.

Coach Brock may not have the horses at this point to run the 'bone, but he doesn't have the horses to do anything else successfully on offense, either.

But before I get too excited, I think that the article merits a serious re-reading. Or two.

I'm not a lawyer, but I believe I can recognize hedge phrases when I see them, and the article is full of them.

It doesn't appear that Coach Brock ever quite comes out and says "WE ARE COMMITTING TO RUNNING THE WISHBONE."

In fact, if I didn't know better I would think it was an April Fool's joke.

Actually, I wouldn't be at all surprised to learn that this whole "wishbone" rumor is just part of a disinformation campaign to throw Army's opening-game opponent, Temple, off track.

*********** This week's sign of the apocalypse: Below is the e-mail I received from American Football Monthly...note the A-11 videos for sale and article.  Wonder if you get a refund if they outlaw it?
 
Chad Beermann
Valley Community HS
Elgin, Iowa

Coach-

Just got my copy.

They should offer a refund on the videos once the rulesmakers recognize what has wriggled through the loophole unintentionally created by a few otherwise well-intentioned rules.

*********** Hey Coach,

I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed the clinic in Charlotte on Saturday. I came away with many practical ideas on how to improve our Double Wing for next season. I think the best way anyone can improve their Double Wing is to get a FB like the one South Meck has. Was he a specimen or what? I was blown away. I guess we can all dream, huh? (Spencer Shuey, South Mecklenburg High B-Back, is at least 6-3, 235, and quite athletic. He also plays outside linebacker. In my opinion, he is a prospect. - HW)

I included a piece of an article from the local paper about an athlete in my county because it relates to specialization:

East Rowan pitcher/first baseman Trey Holmes has signed with Pitt Community College in Greenville, N.C.
Holmes batted .263 with three homers, 15 doubles and 50 RBIs for the Rowan Legion team last summer.
An all-county receiver/DB in football and a starter for the Mustangs in basketball, Holmes has never concentrated on baseball year-round and has Division I potential in that sport.

Check out that last sentence. Concentrate on one sport year round and you won't have to sign with a JUCO, you could be D-I! I wonder how many kids have concentrated on one sport in high school, hoping it will take them to college, only to find out at the end of their senior year that they weren't good enough, and realize that they missed out on the rewards of playing many different sports and having a variety of athletic experiences. I also wonder about the selfish coaches and parents that have pushed kids down this path.

Coach, it was a pleasure meeting you and your wife and I wish you the best. Hope to see you again next year.

Thanks again,
Jim Crawley
China Grove Middle School
China Grove, NC

*********** Dick Cavett, noted intellectual/comedian, wrote about General Petraeus' use of military jargon in addressing Congress...

It reminds you of Copspeak, a language spoken nowhere on earth except by cops and firemen when talking to “Eyewitness News.” Its rule: never use a short word where a longer one will do. It must be meant to convey some misguided sense of “learnedness” and “scholasticism” — possibly even that dread thing, “intellectualism” — to their talk. Sorry, I mean their “articulation.”

No crook ever gets out of the car. A “perpetrator exits the vehicle.” (Does any cop say to his wife at dinner, “Honey, I stubbed my toe today as I exited our vehicle”?) No “man” or “woman” is present in Copspeak. They are replaced by that five-syllable, leaden ingot, the “individual.” The other day, there issued from a fire chief’s mouth, “It contributed to the obfuscation of what eventually eventuated.” This from a guy who looked like he talked, in real life, like Rocky Balboa. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

Who imposes this phony, academic-sounding verbal junk on brave and hard-working men and women who don’t need the added burden of trying to talk like effete characters from Victorian novels?

Cavett also noted General Petraeus' repeated use of the word "challenge" to describe the situation we face in Iraq...

What would the general be forced to say if it weren’t for the icky, precious-sounding “challenge” that he leans so heavily on? That politically correct term, which was created so that folks who are legally blind, deaf, clumsy, crippled, impotent, tremor-ridden, stupid, addicted or villainously ugly are really none of those unhappy things at all. They are merely challenged. (Are these euphemisms supposed to make them feel better?) And no one need be unlucky enough to be dead or hideously wounded anymore. Those unfortunates are merely “casualties” — a sort of restful-sounding word.

*********** Coach Wyatt,
 
Thank you for another outstanding clinic.  I was wondering if you could provide me with the email address of Coach Martin as I wanted to thank him for doing such an outstanding job of hosting.  Food, drink and the Double Wing is an outstanding combination and not knowing the Charlotte area, I liked not having to go out for lunch.  His team looked very sharp and his players were very polite and well-mannered.  I'll certainly be rooting (or what's the Aussie term?) for his team this year. 
 
The two DVDs I left with you were "The Program" which is kind of a "pre-season highlight DVD" that we give to all parents that are new to our team.  In 5 minutes, it tells the Durham War Eagles story, what we're about and what's important to us.  The other DVD was our "Academic Hall of Fame Presentation."  This is the DVD that we issue to each recipient of the award.  I also amended that DVD by including some clips of our "Meet & Greet" drill, as well as our "Good News" segment.  The coach that sat at my table had read your "News" about our "Meet & Greet" drill and was interested in implementing it in his program. 
 
I took a ton of notes at the clinic.  Not only was it an excellent refresher course for me, but I kept jotting notes as I said to myself, "Oh, that's a good idea!"  "Yep, I need to remember that!" "Wow, I never even thought of that!" 

Being able to watch South Meck run the plays was an education, too.  The fact that we were inside made no difference, at all.  

Now I'm eager to check out all the DVDs I brought back with me and pore through my notes.  We have our first Eagles football camp this Saturday, so I feel the season is upon us.  Sorry I didn't get a chance to dine with you and Connie before heading back to Durham.  I grumbled to Deirdre about that all the way back home.
 
Dave Potter, Durham, North Carolina

*********** So Herschel Walker's been living several lives, has he?

In case you missed the story, he's been all over TV recently, telling us about all the different personalities ("alters") he's been, over the years. The same sort of "disorder" that perps have been using over the last few years to escape responsibility ("It wasn't my client that did it, your honor - it was his alter, 'Sven'").

Now, I'm a cynic by nature. I'm the type that hears something like this and immediately thinks, "Okay - what's his angle? Why's he suddenly coming out with this?"

The dreamy-eyed idealists out there will say, "Why, to help others like him."

Yeah, maybe. Except that he hasn't even been getting professional help himself.

We cynics are more inclined to think that there's something else behind all this, and - hey! whaddaya know! Turns out Herschel's written a book about it! Who would have guessed?

*********** Had a boss, Duane, about 20 years ago who was from Philly.  He graduated  from William and Mary  around 1970. His first job as a "professional "  was  with a  large  department store  back in Philadelphia. His first office was at the rear of the warehouse. He noticed that the trash collection contract had not been bid in a number of years , so being the good new employee and to make a few points with his new boss he put the trash contract out for bids. A couple of days later he got a visit from "Mr. Tony" and two of his assistants. Mr Tony ask Duane why, was he unhappy with his company's service? Was there any problem? Mr Tony said he was keeping his assistants from using their form of "encouragement." The bottom line was Duane pulled all bids and remained loyal to Mr Tony's company.Soon thereafter Duane got in the steel business and moved with Bethlehem Steel.
Tim Brown
Jackson Tennessee

*********** Hugh, Loved the letter about DW coach friendliness. I've always made a few friends at your clinics (and gotten some job offers too). I consider it an archetype of the real "coach" that you welcome the opportunity to meet and mentor younger coaches.

I think there's something particular about the DW coach mentality as well. Even if you're a stubborn Yankee like Jack you have to be open-minded to explore and stick to the system. A lot of them are in unconventional Lakeside-type situations where you can't be a follow-the-crowd, cruise-control type, so that manifests itself in
an openness to fellow travelers.

Christopher Anderson, Palo Alto, California

*********** Coach Wyatt,
 
Are you kidding me???
 
I saw that a coaching friend of yours in Maine is actively looking for a DW coach!
 
I can’t believe it! A school that wants a DW coach!
 
Tell me a little more about the place. I hear it is beautiful up there.

Boothbay Harbor is a lobster port and a summer resort town about 1-1/2 hours east of Portland.

I have been there and I can tell you it is indeed a beautiful place.

Boothbay Region HS is the smallest school in the state of Maine playing tackle football, but it is a state power.

It hasn't aways been that way, and the major reason it is now a power is Jack Tourtillotte.

Jack  has been principal and OC for several years, and he has run my system for about 10 years.  He is a native of Boothbay, and he helped save football.  They were considering dropping the sport until he brought in the Double Wing and turned the program around.

I'll bet Jack could be talked into coaching another year or two to get a new coach started right, and I would strongly urge any new coach to make him the offer.

Give him a call.

TUESDAY, APRIL 15, 2008- "To tell a falsehood is like the cut of a saber; for though the wound may heal, the scar of it will remain." Saadi, Persian scholar

*********** A coach who presented on tackling at a Midwest clinic offered to sell some of my "Safer and Surer Tackling" videos, and he wrote afterwards...One neat story...after I spoke, and people lined up (to buy your dvd), a coach walked up and said "I had to show you this"...he held out in front of me a big, thick 'manual' on the Double Wing by (yep!) Coach Wyatt!!!!He was so excited that I had talked up your tackling system, and in the audience was his staff who are already coach Wyatt fans! You could tell they REALLY use your system as the manual was quite "worn" looking....he really got a kick out of me stressing the importance of your tackling DVD , when his program is already utilizing your Double Wing program....just thought I'd mention the "small world" story and how your awesome work helps many different coaches in many different ways....

*********** I fell in love with 47 Brown after seeing it.  Unless I am blind it isn’t in the playbook, right?   Did you diagram this play?  Is the interior blocking scramble on playside and hinge on backside?You'll find 47 Brown in the book as "43 Brown" - no difference. It became more useful to me to call it 47 Brown because I run 47 far more than I run 43. And, yes, I scramble on the playside and hinge on the backside, but as a key-breaker you could actually get away with pulling both the playside guard and tackle, or just the tackle. HW

SCENES FROM THE PHILADELPHIA DOUBLE-WING CLINIC

IT'S A PHILLY THING... Chris Galloway, of Pottstown, Pennsylvania, has been making a habit of sending me back to the Northwest with a "Pennsylvania Care Package" - pretzels (you should taste the crap they try palming off on us out on the Left Coast), scrapple (definitely a Philly thing) and Lebanon bologna, whose smoky taste is beloved by eastern Pennsylvanians.

*********** Hi Coach,First, I'd like to thank you for a really great (Philadelphia) clinic! I've told several people, that as a coach that is new to the Double Wing, I really believe I learned just as much from many of the experienced coaches that attended your clinic (during breaks) as I did from you yourself.

I mean no disrespect in saying that -- to the contrary -- it is a sincere compliment. After attending your clinic, I am not surprised in the least, that so many experienced, enthusiastic, and truly helpful coaches attend. It has all the markings of a close knit fraternity, or better, family. And everyone was willing to share
great ideas and experiences -- really awesome!Many thanks!

Best Regards,Scott McNutt
Perrineville, New JerseyHi Coach-I'm glad to hear that you had the experience that I strive to provide.  It is very important to me that newcomers to our system feel a part of the fraternity.  I learned this from a friend who owned a tavern - he judged his success by the number of new friends he was able to help people make. HW

*********** Alabama had 78,200 people at the Tide's spring game Saturday. Florida had 60,000 at theirs. And Ole Miss had 28,311 - more than they had at one of their regular-season games last year. I am boldly predicting that Army's spring game attendance will not challenge those figures.

See, Army's spring football practices have been held indoors and closed to the public as coach Stan Brock and his staff supposedly install a new offense.And now, Coach Brock has announced that next Saturday's spring game at Michie Stadium will not be a game at all, but will be - a defensive scrimmage.That should really excite the grads who make an annual pilgrimage to West Point to watch the spring game.

“We have been working hard on our offensive scheme throughout the winter and spring,” said Brock. “We’ve made tremendous strides and feel like the players have adapted very well to the changes put in place. But we’re not prepared to showcase our offensive system just yet. Fans will have to come out to watch us play Temple on August 28 to see our offense in action."

If I may offer one suggestion - after closing the doors in the faces of your most loyal supporters - do not lose to Temple.

*********** The Center for Science in the Public Interest, the nags behind the move to force smokers out into the rain at least 25 feet from the nearest restaurant door, accused the NCAA of violating its policies regarding beer advertising on NCAA basketball tournament games.

The policy calls for no more than 60 seconds of beer commercials per hour, or 120 minutes per game telecast. In actuality, though, the "scientists" (can't you see them in their white lab coats?) tabulated 200 and 240 seconds of beer commercials during each semifinal game and - gasp! - 270 seconds during the final.

What the goody two-shoes scientists fail to understand is that the more beer commercials there are, the fewer ED commercials and sleazy promos our kids will have to watch.

*********** Bob Pellegrini died last weekend at his home in Marmora, New Jersey. He was 73.

"Pelly" was born in Yatesboro, Pennsylvania, the son of a coal miner.

At Maryland, he was all-everything as a linebacker, and made the cover of the November 7, 1955 Sports Illustrated. He was voted MVP of the 1956 College All-Star Game, and in 1966 he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

He went on to become a good if not great NFL linebacker. He was the Philadelphia Eagles' first-round draft pick in 1956, and played on the Eagles' 1960 NFL championship team. In fact, it was because of an injury to him that Chuck Bednarik, who had been starting at center, wound up playing both ways in the championship game against the Packers.

In 1962, he was traded to the Redskins, and retired after the 1965 season.

I worked with Pelly in 1974, when I was player personnel director for the Philadelphia Bell, and he coached our linebackers. As a result of his years with the Eagles, Bob knew a lot of Philly people, as we often discovered to our amazement.

One time in early 1974, a little old guy came walking up to the counter in our downtown Philadelphia offices, and being the only one close by, I asked if I could help him. He said he'd like to see Bob Pellegrini.

Sure, I said. Can I tell him who's here to see him?

"Frank Palermo," he said in a gravelly voice.

Holy sh--! I thought. Frank Palermo! I thought I recognized him! Right in front of me was none other than Frank "Blinky" Palermo, the notorious mob-connected boxing manager, who'd spent a bit of time in stir for various, uh, indiscretions.

I recalled that at one time he'd tried to talk Bob Pellegrini into taking a shot at boxing.

"Wow!" I said. "Blinky Palermo!" and stuck out my hand.

He took my hand and held onto it and fixed a cold look on me.

"Please," he said, softly but very firmly. "Frank."

Yes sir, Mr. Palermo. Whatever you say, Mr. Palermo.

RIP, Pelly.

*********** Be still, my beating heart... New England Sports Network (NESN) and MSG Network are planning on co-producing the New England and Mid-Atlantic regional Little League tournaments.Next up - tee ball tryouts.

*********** Jack Tourtillotte, longtime principal/offensive coordinator at Boothbay Regional HS in Boothbay Harbor, Maine, writes...We are looking for a Football  Coach. We have an open PE/health position. I have retired as of June 20. Not sure what I will do but I have had enough of being a high school principal. There is a small chance I might be AD for one year while the transition takes place but I am not sure if I will do even that.

My last official act will be to find a football coach and of-course I would like one who is a DW man. Might be hard to find here in Maine.If you could put in a plug on the "News" that would be great. Anyone interested could contact me: Jack Tourtillotte, Boothbay Region High School Boothbay Harbor, Maine 04538 Phone 207-633-2421 or by email jtourtillotte@brhs.boothbay.k12.me.us(Take it from me - if you are a sincere Double-Wing guy who can appreciate the work that's been done here, and can understand the need not to change when there's no need to change - and wants to live in one of the most beautiful communities imaginable.... contact Jack. HW)

*********** (1) Why do I think that this may not be a guy that you'd want running your team?

A Murray State sophomore QB was charged with shoving a campus police office and taking his ticket book from him.He said he did it to win a $20 bet.

(2) Why do I think that this may not be a guy that you'd want running your athletic program?

The Murray State AD passed the whole thing off as "a prank gone bad."

*********** "YOU MAY BE A TALIBAN IF...."
  1. You refine heroin for a living, but you have a moral   objection to beer.
  2. You own a $3,000 machine gun and $5,000 rocket launcher, but  you can't afford shoes.
  3. You have more wives than teeth.
  4. You wipe your butt with your bare left hand, but consider bacon "unclean."
  5. You think vests come in two styles: bullet-proof and suicide.
  6. You can't think of anyone you haven't declared Jihad against.
  7. You consider television dangerous, but routinely carry explosives in your clothing.
  8. You were amazed to discover that cell phones have uses other than setting off roadside bombs.
  9. You've ever uttered the phrase, "I love what you've done with your cave."
10. You have nothing against women and think every man should  own at least one.
11. You bathe at least once a month whether you need to or not
12    You've always had a crush on your neighbor's goat.

FRIDAY, APRIL 11, 2008- "Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

*********** Kansas basketball coach Bill Self, on the influence of his father, himself a coach... "Coaches complain all the time: I've got to deal with this or that. But deep down, at the core, coaches like fixing things, too. That was something I learned from him - how to fix things and make positives out of negatives."

*********** How to help our economy:The Federal Government is sending each of us a $600 rebate.If we spend that money at Wal-Mart, the money will go to China. If we spend it on gasoline it will go to the Arabs. If we buy a computer, It will go to India. If we purchase fruit and vegetables, it will go to Mexico,
Honduras, and Guatemala. If we purchase a good car, it will go to Japan. If we purchase useless crap, it will go to Taiwan and none of it wi