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Season Ending Evaluations of Players/Program

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Jeff Shutter • Head Coach • Eastern York High School (PA)

I always give the players a survey first to have them self evaluate their play, to evaluate their teammates, and to make suggestions for next season. I hold a meeting and distribute our lifting and conditioning calendar for the off season. I meet with the captains to have them write a brief note to help next year’s captains.

The staff evaluates each game in hindsight and also evaluates returning players as to suggested position for the next season and for areas the player should work on to improve performance. We will self scout all our games this year to look for obvious tendencies in play-calling.

As a staff we will also decide which team camp we will attend in the summer of 2009.

Paul Horne • Offensive Coordinator • Naples High School (FL)

Here at Naples High School in Naples, Florida we look at each week and each season as a learning experience. We have experienced significant success over the past 10.5 seasons winning 101 games, 2 state championships and another finals appearance. Our end-of-season evaluation for my offensive linemen is a semester-long process grounded in improving on past mistakes and preparing for future challenges.

A few seasons ago we experienced a down year because of a lack of seasoned leadership. I decided there were steps we could take to avoid future issues like this. Instead of conducting exit interviews, I decided to utilize the experiences from the previous season during a Leadership Institute. Each week the offensive line meets during lunch. During the meeting we cover a chapter from John Maxwell’s book The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. This series was a suggestion I gleaned from Coach Richt at an A.F.C.A. convention a few years back.

First, the logic behind implementing this was to avoid future leadership voids. If there were no natural leaders on the team, the offensive linemen would be prepared to embrace those responsibilities. If there are some natural leaders, then John Maxwell explains that increasing aggregate leadership quotient of the team will make our program more effective. That is a win-win situation because we will benefit in either scenario. Imagine coaching a team that is full of leaders. Managing behavior and personalities is already resolved and now the coach can focus his time, energy, and wisdom on weekly preparation.

Secondly, John Maxwell reveals real leadership is influence. The only way to influence is through building relationships with other teammates. The linemen are challenged with a task of meeting their teammates and filling out “teammate questionnaires.” They get to know the defensive backs and other skill position players they see less frequently on the practice field. They discover common interests and begin to build a foundation of a relationship that prospers during the off season. Those relationships serve as a bond during the stresses and strains of the next season. We look to build some synergy off of those bonds and love our teammates more than the other team loves each other.

Finally, the players are able to utilize the leadership skills they are learning at lunch during their off season workouts. In the weight room or on the track I encourage them to be positive influences and edify their teammates. Build up the “social capital” with encouragement and compliments. Strengthen the bonds with each individual so everyone is invested in a positive environment.

Combining this personal development with the intense weights and speed training forges a formidable challenge each and every week for upcoming opponents. Football players need to use the off-season to develop the three elements that comprise each player: physical, emotional, and spiritual. Concentrating on one aspect without developing the other two is missing the potential in each player and is the equivalent to leaving points on the field.

Brent M. Smith • Athletic Director • Crest High School (KS)

At the end of the season going into the off-season, the first thing I do is meet the coaches and evaluate the program and the players.

I then schedule a time after school to meet with each player (JR/SO/FR) and evaluate their performance this past season, we give the player a sheet to grade their season performance and in turn the coaches use the same form to grade the player. The coaches then sit down with the player and go over the evaluation and compare. We then express our expectations of them in the off-season and for the next season.

Then we also meet with each of the seniors to evaluate their performance and career. We want to find out what they would do differently to make their career better.

I feel this has been positive for our kids. When they are aware of your expectations for the next season it is very motivational. This has made our program better along with the kids.

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