Who Is To Blame???

[ISUMatt]

Ive had this discussion on Redbirdfan.com and I thought Id bring the question here. If your football team, for argument sake well say ISU, fumbles the ball or commits a holding penalty, who ultimately is to blame. Id like to think that the players is responsible for dropping the ball, missing a block, holding, whatever, but the majority of our message board say its all coaching. He recruited the kid and he put the kid on the field. They have gone as far as saying that they would NEVER blame a college kid for anything!!! I dont understand how anyone can think the players ger off scott free of their mistakes on the football field. Im more than happy to blame coaches for bad calls, blocking schemes, etc...but there shold at least be shared responsibility then, the players have to accept responsibility dont they??? The Coach makes the $$ but the player is on Scholi and is getting tuition paid for, thats just like collecting a paycheck!! OK DISCUSS!!!

-Ralph, if I left anything out, please throw it out here for discussion!!!

[Ronbo]

Ive had this discussion on Redbirdfan.com and I thought Id bring the question here. If your football team, for argument sake well say ISU, fumbles the ball or commits a holding penalty, who ultimately is to blame. Id like to think that the players is responsible for dropping the ball, missing a block, holding, whatever, but the majority of our message board say its all coaching. He recruited the kid and he put the kid on the field. They have gone as far as saying that they would NEVER blame a college kid for anything!!! I dont understand how anyone can think the players ger off scott free of their mistakes on the football field. Im more than happy to blame coaches for bad calls, blocking schemes, etc...but there shold at least be shared responsibility then, the players have to accept responsibility dont they??? The Coach makes the $$ but the player is on Scholi and is getting tuition paid for, thats just like collecting a paycheck!! OK DISCUSS!!!

-Ralph, if I left anything out, please throw it out here for discussion!!!


Head Coach Pete Carroll of NC USC stated in an interview I watched that 80% of a victory is talent and execution and 20% Coaching. He was giving credit to the players but he is close to correct. Take the worst Coach at the worst program in I-AA and let them Coach the Trojans for a year and take Pete Carroll give him the worst program in I-AA for a year. I'll bet the records of those teams would be similar. Maybe a little worst for USC and a little better for the I-AA. As they say, "It's the horses on the field."

[polsongrizz]

I guess we might as well put the blame where it really belongs then. Its all the parents fault, either through a crappy pairing of genes or through a lousy childhood w/o the proper stimulation to increase the cordination skills needed at that level. :eek: :eek: :cool: :cool: :cool:

[colgate13]

everyone's culpable. The player yes, but if it was a single play that decided a game's outcome, I could probably point to 20 or so single plays in a game that make it or break it. You can't point to just one.

[blueballs]

The coach prepares the player as best he cans and does his best to put the player in the best position and situation possible to insure the player's success, but it ultimately the player's responsibility to execute. Period.

[Tribe4SF]

To me, this is a silly discussion. It's a team game. The relevant word with regard to responsibility is "we".

"We didn't take care of the ball."

"We made the plays when we needed to."

"We executed well".

[Ronbo]

If a particular play doesn't work who's fault is it? Did the Coach blow the situation? Did a player not execute a block? Did the QB read the Defense poorly and make the wrong audible? Did the Defensive Coach call the wrong Defensive formation and coverage or did the players not make the tackles? Or did they miss their assignments?

I would say the execution of the players happens more often than the Coaches blowing the plays called. These Coaches know every situation that can happen on the field and they play the odds like a gambler. If they are in a certain situation against a certain formation they run the most successful play that works there. But, if the players don't execute it will fail more often than not.

[MR. CHICKEN]

KNUCKLE-DRAGGERS.......TUBBY USED TA SAY.....DAT HE GOT TO MUCH CREDIT WHEN DUH HENS WON..........AN' TO MUCH BLAME...WHEN DEY LOST! :rolleyes:

[ChickenMan]

Short term results (individual games)... are normally attributed to the players actions... while long term results (season)... are correctly credited/blamed on the coach.

[Eagle_77]

Well I tell you this. No matter who the public blames I can tell you that the players pay for their mistakes come Monday. If you got a penalty called on you during the game then you stayed after practice for a few extra drills if you know what I mean. As far as missed assignments goes the coach's would tally up how many were on offense and how many were on defense and you started Monday's practice with the equal amount of up/downs for your side of the ball.

While I understand that the coach is ultimately blamed because he is the one who is being paid the players pay for making the coach look bad. Also being that you cant "fire" a player for a few bad plays then once again it rolls down to the coach.

I personally believe that the blame falls on the player for making the mistake and on the coach if he leaves a guy in after the player makes several mistakes.

[Tribe4SF]

If everyone does their job, success is possible. The only one who should ever accept individual blame is the head coach. It's a question of leadership. Players do it all the time, and that is to their credit. Teams where others assign individual blame are teams in trouble.

[ngineer]

KNUCKLE-DRAGGERS.......TUBBY USED TA SAY.....DAT HE GOT TO MUCH CREDIT WHEN DUH HENS WON..........AN' TO MUCH BLAME...WHEN DEY LOST! :rolleyes:

So true for most coaches. If you have the horses, sometimes coaches can get too cute, rather than just letting them play and leave it up to their execution. I have always enjoyed watching a team overcome their weaknesses with special game plans to take away an opponent's obvious advantage and make the perfect execution to pull off the upset.

[Tod]

...for argument sake well say ISU, fumbles the ball or commits a holding penalty, who ultimately is to blame?

Assuming that the teams (ISU vs ???) are at least somewhat evenly matched...

Sometimes a player will hold because that's the only way to save the play (by getting away with it) and he knows it. But it's still his fault for allowing it to get to that point. Sometimes it's just a bad decision or bad use of the hands. Either way, the coach probably doesn't tell a player to hold. It's the player's fault.

A fumble is not something the coach called. Somebody, whether the center or the QB or somebody who moved too far and/or too fast causes the fumble. It's the fault of that player.

Sometimes conditions can lead to a no-win situation, i.e. it's so wet/muddy that the player just can't physically grasp the ball, so that can be taken into account.

The coach can only do so much. The kids that play the game are responsible for their own actions, right or wrong.