You're the coach

[Twin Threat]

You're the coach at a high school, you notice a freshman thats fast as H*ll, but has hands of stone and can't catch a cold. Do you move him varsity ahead of others with better skills (sharper routes and better hands)but not as fast?

[katy_dynasty]

put him at safety or corner u know what they say dbs are recievers that cant catch lol

[cyfallsnumber1]

put him at back up running back

[katy_dynasty]

definatly wouldnt move him to varsity reciever but u can teach him how to catch and tackle u cant teach speed.

[dragonsdaddy]

put him at safety or corner u know what they say dbs are recievers that cant catch lol

there's a reason some kids play defense.

[Owned05]

put him at back up running back

Why would you want to put him as a back up? You want a kid like that to get as many reps as possible.

I'd personally put him on defense.

[katy_dynasty]

there's a reason some kids play defense.

it was a joke...

[KT2000]

I'd have to know whether this player was mentally (playbook, pressure) and physically (frame) ready to be a varsity football player before I went any further with a decision.

Assuming he is both of those things, I would evaluate the depth chart at his potential positions and find where he could best help the team. My first instinct would be to keep him in his most natural position if he has one. As someone who played receiver, I believe you can teach just about anyone to catch a football coaching proper technique and encouraging the player to work at it outside of practice as well.

I think another thing to factor in is the players' growth curve physically, and whether or not he will grow out of being at a certain spot. Do you try and move him now projecting ahead, or keep him as he is now and maybe have him cross-train a little?

I think there are several factors to consider (both on the individual and team level).

[dragonsdaddy]

it was a joke...

i wasn't joking at all. a fairly well-known ex-cowboy told me that after watching his son knock down his second sure int of the game. not everyone can catch, though with enough time and practice, most can be servicable(right crunked9 ?)

[Texasfrog]

You're the coach at a high school, you notice a freshman thats fast as H*ll, but has hands of stone and can't catch a cold. Do you move him varsity ahead of others with better skills (sharper routes and better hands)but not as fast?

Nope.... ;)

[Bass]

You're the coach at a high school, you notice a freshman thats fast as H*ll, but has hands of stone and can't catch a cold. Do you move him varsity ahead of others with better skills (sharper routes and better hands)but not as fast?

It looks like the Cy Falls guys were right. If even the coaches care what the 5A board says the players must aswell. ;)

[katy_dynasty]

i wasn't joking at all. a fairly well-known ex-cowboy told me that after watching his son knock down his second sure int of the game. not everyone can catch, though with enough time and practice, most can be servicable(right crunked9 ?)

ok maybe im just confused on exactly what ur trying to say. i said put him at DB bc of his unsure hands u dont have to catch the ball all the time being a corner or safety just knock it down are u agreeing with me or are u saying leave him at reciever?? sorry im just confused on where u stand

[dragonsdaddy]

ok maybe im just confused on exactly what ur trying to say. i said put him at DB bc of his unsure hands u dont have to catch the ball all the time being a corner or safety just knock it down are u agreeing with me or are u saying leave him at reciever?? sorry im just confused on where u stand

some potential wr's end up playing defense due to their inability to catch consistently. i am in agreeance with your thought processes.

[RidgePride]

Under most circumstances you leave him on the freshman team and coach him up until he is ready - if ever. Pure speed does not always equal a good football player nor does it always translate to football speed. Speed is only useful if it translates to making plays.

Even if he is a senior and is the fastest guy in the district, it does not mean he can play.

Put him on the kick off team as the head hunter - assuming this guy is not afraid to hit.
Believe it or not, there are some 4.6 -4.7 guys starting at corner and safety in the NFL.

I think speed is so overrated anyway.

[Redhoss]

put him at safety or corner u know what they say dbs are recievers that cant catch lol

You beat me to it Dynasty. They don't call me linebacker for nothing. My hands are as hard as a rock. :D

[Redhoss]

Why would you want to put him as a back up? You want a kid like that to get as many reps as possible.

I'd personally put him on defense.

I'm with ya Owned. Use those hard hands to be batting people and balls down :)

[SLC93]

Anybody remember a Dallas Cowboys second round draft pick, former Auburn Tiger, 4.1 runnin Alexander Wright?

[cyfallsnumber1]

Why would you want to put him as a back up? You want a kid like that to get as many reps as possible.

I'd personally put him on defense.

the only reason i would put him as a back up is because he is a FRESHMAN. if you start a freshman then your program isnt solid. even if he was the fastest kid on the team id would wait until at least mid season to start. he needs the experience. the transition from middle school fb to varsity hs fb is pretty big.

[dragonsdaddy]

the only reason i would put him as a back up is because he is a FRESHMAN. if you start a freshman then your program isnt solid. even if he was the fastest kid on the team id would wait until at least mid season to start. he needs the experience. the transition from middle school fb to varsity hs fb is pretty big.

i'm pretty sure that freshmen can and do help good programs on occasion. mitch enright started 4 years for slc recently, and i read somewhere they are a fairly solid program. if a kid can help and he's eligible, i'm thinking he should be playing.

[Texasfrog]

i'm pretty sure that freshmen can and do help good programs on occasion. mitch enright started 4 years for slc recently, and i read somewhere they are a fairly solid program. if a kid can help and he's eligible, i'm thinking he should be playing.

I think there is a huge difference between a High school freshmen and a College Freshmen in the whole scheme of things.

On the college side of things I think it can happen a lot. I dont think that many freshmen for big 5A programs can come in and help right away.

Maybe at some 3A and lower it's more common. I think with 5A and 4A it's not that common.

[cyfallsnumber1]

i'm pretty sure that freshmen can and do help good programs on occasion. mitch enright started 4 years for slc recently, and i read somewhere they are a fairly solid program. if a kid can help and he's eligible, i'm thinking he should be playing.

so did he start ON WEEK 1?

also we are talking about a player that has incredible speed. thats it. speed. i would never start a freshman only if he had speed. maybe on special teams but thats it

[forest99]

NO, unless he can physically and mentally take the varsity level as a freshman and actually contribute to the team at his position or even consider a different position.

[MidLineOption73]

Under most circumstances you leave him on the freshman team and coach him up until he is ready - if ever. Pure speed does not always equal a good football player nor does it always translate to football speed. Speed is only useful if it translates to making plays.



Best thing I have read so far. I agree with the above. Great Point.:D

[dragonsdaddy]

so did he start ON WEEK 1?

also we are talking about a player that has incredible speed. thats it. speed. i would never start a freshman only if he had speed. maybe on special teams but thats it

no, he started in week 4 or 5 and except for having a mid-season appendectomy during his senior year, would have started 58 games in a row by graduation.

[farmerfan]

Shannon Brazzell at Lewisville and Reggie Crawford both started as Freshmen for Lewisville back in 1992. Brazzell was all district as a LB as a fish and first team all state his sophmore-senior years.
David Ellen and Lucas Prater both started as Freshmen for Marcus. Ellen started at LB for Marcus in 94 and Prater started at SS for the state champion Marcus team in 97. I agree that it's rare to see but if they're good enough and ready there is no reason why you dont do it.
Another freshmen that comes to mind is Marc Greene from Mesquite. He started as a LB for the Skeeters on their 2001 state championship team.

[svfootball45]

You put him on jv let him get experience with bigger players. then let him workout with the varsity group and when spring training comes help develop his skills and put him on varsity his sophmore year. I personaly dont think freshman should be on varsity. They wont know the system well enough to be mentally able to be on varsity even if they are freak phisically

[farmerfan]

As many have stated there is more to football than just speed. Depending on his maturity and how he had performed with the varsity in fall drills would lead me to my conclusion. What I would most likely do is start him out on JV during the non-district portion of the schedule and see what kind of contributions he was making and if he looked ready for varsity, if he did I would ease him up onto the varsity as the season progressed and if there was a dying need for him at a DB position.
I also agree with Ridge about the kickoff team putting him as a headhunter dpending on how physical he was.

[dragonsdaddy]

You put him on jv let him get experience with bigger players. then let him workout with the varsity group and when spring training comes help develop his skills and put him on varsity his sophmore year. I personaly dont think freshman should be on varsity. They wont know the system well enough to be mentally able to be on varsity even if they are freak phisically

the above examples prove that theory wrong, in state titles, at least.

[RidgePride]

The problem with this scenerio is that we do not know if this fast guy can play football.

When I was in high school, the fasted man on campus (40 time and 100 time)did not even play football. He quit after his 10th grade year with no arguments from the coaches.

[fireaway]

that sounds like blake tomlin... Southlake Carroll class of 2007 (last years long man) you just gotta work with him and believe in his work ethic if he has the passion he'll be a star might drop a few HUGE catches but it will motivate him to work even harder and focus more...i know that Blake did

[fireaway]

if anybody knows carroll football 2007 they know the passes that blake has dropped...

[dragons08]

if anybody knows carroll football 2007 they know the passes that blake has dropped...

yeah. but you can see how blake progressed as the season went on. by the end of the year, he was snagging almost everything.

[yankee]

yeah. but you can see how blake progressed as the season went on. by the end of the year, he was snagging almost everything.

defenses started to realize the scope of the threat that cantu was so they started defending him more aggressively...which in turn opened up things for tomlin and then he started bringing in the yards, catches, and td's.

[dragons08]

defenses started to realize the scope of the threat that cantu was so they started defending him more aggressively...which in turn opened up things for tomlin and then he started bringing in the yards, catches, and td's.

and who says us band kids dont know anything...

[2ManyExperts]

Put him in on special teams,maybe dimeback or use him as a decoy in the run-n-shoot off. Give him a year in JV. If he's too soft put him in track. Remember a while back when this fast reciever used to run the Qb option inside the 20. Think it was 2000 Miami Hurricanes.

[mojotrain]

You're the coach at a high school, you notice a freshman thats fast as H*ll, but has hands of stone and can't catch a cold. Do you move him varsity ahead of others with better skills (sharper routes and better hands)but not as fast?

With out hands he can't help the O. You didn't say he could hit so with that info make sure he go's out for track and make him a WIP in football. Speed ain't doodly without some type of skills.

[SLC DRAGON]

there is another side of the ball besides offense.

CB, FS, SS, even OLB. these are 3 viable options for a kid like this. the likely hood that any Fr. at the 5A level is ready to compete for a starting job, even a back up job at the 5A level is slim. ur best bet is to put him on JV @ any position and teach him the skills he needs. he can be on the varsity practice squad and get valuable experiance.