Evaluting a Receiver\'s Performance

by: Michael Glaze
Receivers Coach, Weatherford High School (TX
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Evaluating or “grading” a player’s performance has always been a topic of debate among coaches. Many of the coaches that I have been around use the +/- system of grading a players performance in a game (giving a + for carrying out an assignment and a – for a busted assignment). I personally have never liked this system of grading because I think it lacks objectivity. If a receiver runs a perfect route but drops the ball, do you give him a plus or a minus? If you give him both, then they cancel each other out, so just don’t give him anything? What feedback does that give the athlete and what can you as a coach get from that type of grading? Or, a receiver in a game could execute his assignment on every play and never catch a pass or execute a crucial block. Therefore the possibility exist of that receiver could grade out at an 85% while a receiver that has 5 receptions for 90 yards and 2 touchdowns could bust a couple of assignments and grade out at a 70%. How do you justify that to your players? The one with the TDs and the 90 yards is going to say something is wrong with coaches grading system. I tend to agree, so I began to look for a new system of grading. I wanted to know which receiver is performing. How many receptions did he have? Did he have any drops? Loafs? 1st Down Receptions? Missed blocks? Etc… I wanted to grade performance and production rather than just execution and effort. I believe that the performance chart allows me to evaluate all of this and more.

The Performance chart came from a clinic that our staff attended, our defensive staff decided to stop grading and use a production chart giving points for tackles, interceptions, sacks and so forth, but subtracting points for missed tackles, missed assignments or loafing etc… I had our defensive coach who was in charge of the production chart email me a copy. He had set up one spreadsheet for each game and inserted formulas to add and subtract the points for each column, giving the athlete a total for each game. Then he had a composite page that would keep a running total for the year. I think that it is quite impressive. Of course, I had to change the criteria for awarding and subtracting points. I also had to adjust the point values to be equivalent to what I feel is important for us to be successful on offense. For example and turnover would have a greater point deduction than a missed assignment. Scoring a touchdown would be worth more points than just a reception.

I print off one each Friday before the game. On Saturday morning, when we are watching the film, I will evaluate my receivers performance according to the criteria across the top of the chart for each play that they are in the game. We will have from 2 to 4 receivers in the game at all times. Not all of the criteria can be evaluated on each play, but something can be evaluated either as positive or negative. If it is a run play, then the blocking columns can be evaluated for positive points and missed assignment, missed block or loafing can be evaluated for negatives. Each play presents an opportunity to gain or lose points. I post these charts in the hallway leading to our locker room. Each week it is the first thing that my receivers look at when they come into the locker room. I think that it created a sense of pride and some competition to see who had the highest total each week and to see who could be the overall leader. Next year, I am planning on giving a reward each week to the leader that they can were and be proud of (like the yellow jersey for the Tour De France).

Hopefully this article will give you an alternative way to evaluate performance or just give you some ideas about evaluating your athletes. If you would like a copy of this chart or there is anything that I could help you with, please feel free to contact me at mglaze@weatherfordisd.com. Here is an example of my chart.

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