Coachspeak
Now that we're in the football season across the board -- high schools, colleges, NFL -- we're going to be inundated with timeless classics of coaching cliches. Some of them are actually true.
Then again, there's the dictum that says, "You make your greatest improvement between the first and second game of the season." Fans of UNC and N.C. A&T had better hope that's false in the case of their teams.
"You play as you practice," is another favorite. But think about it: How often have you heard coaches express surprise at a game performance by saying, "We practiced great; I don't know what happened today." One tends to contradict the other.
"Special-teams breakdowns are especially common in September." Now that one's true. Witness the Oregon State kicker who missed three PATs in one game. Or the Clemson long-snapper who one-hopped the ball to his punter, handing Georgia Tech a wacky win on Saturday. Or the Wake Forest punt that got swatted out of the end zone for a safety at Clemson.
What are some of your favorite examples of coachspeak?
Comments (1)
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Oooh, one of my favorite topics.
Here's one that always gets me. Miami decides to switch starting QBs, from Jay Fiedler to A.J. Feeley. Coach Dave Wannstedt (aka, a younger Dennis Farina) says essentially, "We're going with the guy who gives the best chance to win." Well thank you for that dramatic statement of the obvious. When's the last time you heard a coach say, "We don't think Joe QB gives us a good chance to win, but boy he throws a nice spiral"? Or, he's not good for wins and losses, but boy does he rack up points in fantasy football."
Posted on September 13, 2004 12:29 PM