Are Football Coaches Too Tough? Nope

September 10, 2009|By Patrick Regan, Cardinal Gibbons

Oftentimes football coaches are lauded for the intense practices and workloads they give their players.

But some say that two-a-days filled with up-downs and sprints in the 90-degree weather is just too much for adolescents to handle.

However, many underestimate how far the sport has come in terms of protecting players and the need for such rough coaching and conditioning.

The deaths of some players due to heat stroke, including Minnesota Vikings player Corey Stringer in 2001, have made coaches more aware of the signs of fatigue and have increased awareness about hydration needs.

Comparatively, coaches are easier on players than in the past. If anyone stepped onto a high school football field today and watched a coaching staff function, they would see one that is drastically different than Denzel Washington out of Remember the Titans.

With better technology and increased precautions relating to hydration, I might even argue that coaches aren't hard enough on their players.

The clichM-i "no guts no glory," however corny, applies well.

Football players are supposed to be the guys that all the boys want to be and all the girls want.

On the high school totem poll, they are at the top. Shouldn't they get a little roughed up? Shouldn't their coaches expect something great?

The illustrious "tough guy" banner is one that football players love to carry around, and rightfully so.

Coaches help them develop this with mouths as feisty as sailors' and practices that are dreadful.

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