Football Coach Too Abrasive?

[sd steel]

Re: Football Coach Too Abrasive?

groton steel wrote:

I want Todd Haley to be a tough Steelers OC not a jerk.

The problem is many times you are tough on players they perceive you to be a jerk.

Being tough and being a jerk are not mutually exclusive.

[feltdizz]

Re: Football Coach Too Abrasive?

I could see if HOFers and well respected players were trashing Haley but it sounds like it was mostly losers and cast off's.

[Flasteel]

Re: Football Coach Too Abrasive?

[quote=sd steel]

Am I reading this correctly? We have people in this forum who are actually getting down on the Steelers new OC because why? He's too tough? He holds his players to a standard and doesn't give in and kiss up to primadonna millionaire athletes. Do you think Lombardi was abrasive? How about Noll?

The new era of the NFL is filled with players who are just happy being in the NFL and collecting the huge pay checks. They don't want anyone "bossing" them around. Well I played alot of football, and although I remember coaches who were tough, and abrasive and who called you out when you didn't execute, and you know what we called them??

Football coaches! Sounds to me like Haley doesn't kiss butt and doesn't give players a pass when they fail. Basically sounds just the opposite of Arians.

If you want to call Haley names for being a butthole, being abrasive, and not being best friends with the players, then call him what he is, an old school football coach. Probably learned it from Noll when he was a ball boy for the Steelers. Players earn respect by executing as the coach requires.

Anyone who doesn't understand that probably hasn't played football.

I coached for one of the top high school programs in the country for many years. I know you played the game, but what you said is simply idiotic SD. It's not about being tough, it's about being an asshole, who can't establish a meaningful relationship with his players. If you can't connect with your players, then you'll never tap their full potential. They may curse your name sometimes, but if they don't respect you, you will no-doubt fail as a coach.

I saw it happen up close when we experienced a head coaching change. The new HC was cool with us coaches, but he publicly and privately berated the players...I'm talking asshole of the year stuff. I had guys coming to me left and right, who wanted to quit the team and in the end, he never won jack with us. As soon as our previous hall of fame coach returned (who is also limited in his people skills, but at least a respectful man), we immediately started going deep into the playoffs and just won our 5th state championship.

I'm not getting your point FLA. Why did he berate the players? Was there a problem with execution? Was there a lack of discipline. Why didn't they respect the coach?

I have coached many years, and I do create relationships with my players, but I don't have to be friends with them, and they don't have to like me to respect me. That being said my methods are about instilling confidence in my players. I am not a yeller. I don't get on kids for physical mistakes, but they will hear me when mental mistakes are made and for a lack of effort. In short, I am liked by my players, but I don't think it's necessary to be liked to be respected or to be a successful coach. Players will play harder for you, but the reality is if your players aren't playing hard for themselves they can love you to death and it won't matter. You have to instill a team first mentality but if you want to get the best out of them they have have enough self respect to play at their own high standards. Coach SD isn't going to be holding their hands the rest of their life. You want a successful team you teach them to play for them, then they won't need a figure head to motivate them to play hard and get better, they will do it for themselves.[/quote:yqnadefa]

I forgot you coached too...and I didn't mean to imply you are an idiot either. What I am saying is that when you treat the people you lead in a disrespectful way, you cannot lead effectively.

You are saying that Haley's "abraisive" style of coaching is all about being tough, demanding, and calling players on their mistakes...but is not disrespectful.

I'm saying that his abraisive style is inclusive of disrespect towards his players and it's at the center of many complaints.

I was a yeller as a coach...although I was almost always positive with it and never disrespected my guys. I'm also an ex-Army sergeant and kind of brought that mentality to the sideline, so I'm all about old-school.

I think we are saying and agreeing on the exact same thing. We just have a different perception of how Haley has treated his players in the past.

[sd steel]

Re: Football Coach Too Abrasive?

I agree Fla. I have no way to judge Haley and why he has been labeled "abrasive", but I heard some of it came from Larry Johnson, who in my opinion has been a malcontent and an underacheiver since he got into the league. He tweeted about his father having more experience than Haley. It sounds to me like Haley is a perfectionist and holds players accountable. If you have bad seeds on a team and a coach comes in and lays down the law, those bad seeds are gonna get mad and fire back and create drama. It's pretty hard to talk crap about Chuck Noll when he holds you accountable, but might be easier to try to ruin a guy who doesn't have that resume and doesn't have the backing of a strong organization behind him.

It sounds to me like you might be considered an abrasive coach with your military background, but who are the guys who complain the most about abrasive coaches? Normally guys who aren't playing up to the standard. Being that you coach you know that all players don't respond to the same methods. Haley might be a one method coach, and in the NFL with all sorts of personalities he has obviously rubbed some people wrong, but does that mean his style is bad, or maybe some of the players he has coached just don't appreciate his style, and they don't take kindly to some guy who never played holding them accountable? I'm guessing that's the case, but I'm sure we will find out soon enough.