BAD_NEWS_BEAR;1275592 wrote:I’ve just been a casual observer of this thread, but after reading all the posts about Coach Z, I just had to jump in. He coached one of my sons for 4 long years. Although my son started as a sophomore and was a 3 year letter winner, he never respected Coach Z. I have no doubt that Coach Z has football knowledge, he just doesn’t know how to manage or know how to build a team. Every year he picks 2 or 3 kids to be his superstars, treats them special, and tears down the team because of it. The kids aren’t stupid. They know that if Johnny superstar makes a mistake on the field Coach Z pats him on the head and says you’ll do better next time, but if you’re not one of his picks and you make the same mistake, you get ripped on the sideline in front of your friends and family and probably get benched. That’s the single biggest problem that I’ve seen since he’s been head coach. Most of the kids play scared. They second guess their actions on the field for fear of being yanked if they make a mistake. That split second pause, instead of just reacting is all it takes to miss a play. It wouldn’t be that way if he ripped all the kids the same or none of the kids, but making that difference builds a dissention among the players and deteriorates the “team”.
A few examples of how it treats players special:
In 2008 the Bears went to the playoffs against Crestview with one of the most talented teams in recent history. He had a player with a blown ACL who somehow got cleared to play the last 6 games of the season with a brace and no ACL. There’s no way that player was better than some other kid on the bench with 2 good legs. Coach Z padded this kids stats and said he got 159 tackles in 6 games and got him his All Ohio and picture on the wall at the high school. Waynedale got beat 42 – 14 in that game against Crestview and a lot of plays blew past that player. Coach Z didn’t make the right decision for the team.
In 2010 Coach Z somehow got an All Ohio honorable mention for one of the worst offensive lineman on the team. His picture is on the wall too. He got a mercy invitation to play at Mount Union and lasted 1 or 2 months. The other players didn't appreciate what coach Z did. There were other players who deserved it more.
This year one of his stars gets arrested and he held him out of the scrimmages and the first game against Tusky Valley. If you look at the rules, he should have been held out for 2 games. Scrimmages aren’t games and therefore not real punishment. If that would have been an inconsequential player, he’d probably still be sitting on the sidelines.
Finally, three years ago Coach Z decided that B. Stanley was the QB of the future no matter how bad he played at that position. He’s a hell of an athlete, just not a QB as demonstrated by the fact he’s been replaced in his senior year. Coach Z had another QB (C. Constable) who wasn’t as athletic and not a huge run threat, but a solid QB with an accurate arm and a good decision maker. He never got a chance and was moved to a wide out position his sophmore year. If Constable had been QB last year and Stanley moved to the RB position, they could have possibly won more than 6 games. Could have possibly beat Ridgewood and challenged Smithville. No defense can hold forever without some offensive help. Both sides of the ball needs momentum from the other.
Bottom line, Coach Z doesn’t build teams, he destroys them by setting certain players on pedestals and treating everyone else as if they are unimportant, not worthy of his consideration. He tolerates them only because he needs 11 players. The same thing that happened a couple of years ago is happening with the freshmen now. Isn’t it odd that another coach's son is going to be the QB? I don’t have any kids in school anymore…….thank God. The drama behind Waynedale football since Z has been coach sucks the life out of you. Sorry wcalfan, but the the truth sometimes hurts. Good luck to the bears anyway, there's always hope.
My oh my...now Coach Z only cares about certain kids in his program, plays hurt players after he gets them medically cleared, he pads stats, and he plays politics. Are you people kidding me?
Where are all you people at when things are going good and you should be congratulating the coaching staff? Wait I am sure you are first in line to kiss their butts and act like you care but when the going gets touch....well, you know how it goes because you live it!
You do understand that coaches really have nothing to do with All-Ohio voting. Correct me if I am wrong, but I am pretty sure that the media chooses All-Ohio football teams.
Let's see here...
In 2008, you are telling me that there was another kid on the team that could have made 160+ tackles on the team but he was sitting on the bench? Plus, it was this one players fault that we lost 42-14 to Crestview that year. Just one player? Wait, that's right his stats were padded. What a joke!
In 2010, again I will tell you....the MEDIA chooses All-Ohio teams. Again, if I am wrong about that, I am willing to admit it. Plus, we had other lineman that were All-Ohio players on that team? We must have just been LOADED for a few years with studs and we didn't know it. Really?
This season, being held out of 2 scrimmages and 1 game is not real punishment? How about being stripped of your captainancy (I think that is a word) and other "behind the scenes" punishment? Does that count? Is that REAL punishment? You do understand that if we have that player for the Tusky game, we probably win and we may be talking about a few more losses? But no, that kid is getting special treatment I guess.
You then keep rambling and say..."Bottom line, Coach Z doesn’t build teams, he destroys them by setting certain players on pedestals and treating everyone else as if they are unimportant, not worthy of his consideration. He tolerates them only because he needs 11 players. The same thing that happened a couple of years ago is happening with the freshmen now." Do you really believe what you are writing? That Coach Z only cares about a select few kids in his program? That couldn't be further from the truth. Now football is a little different in the fact that about usually 3-4 players get all the "credit". Those are usually the kids that have the ball in their hands the most. That is just football. But believe me, he is always praising those players that give it their all in the trenches and "behind the scenes".
Then FINALLY you state(whew, I am now out of breath) ...we had a qb "who wasn’t as athletic and not a huge run threat, but a solid QB with an accurate arm and a good decision maker" and if we played him instead that we would have won more games. Hmmmm...this sounds eerily familiar to a young qb that I talked about in an earlier post. Maybe he learned from that situation and is trying a different approach to our qb position. WAIT...that can't be right because the only reason that kid is at qb now is because his dad is another coach/AD for us. Plus if he was really playing the "politics game" wouldn't he find a way to get that coaches kid on the varsity field? MAKE UP YOUR MIND!
Believe me fence hugger...yea I now remember seeing you standing right along with them (plus you "smell" like one), the truth does hurt and it isn't just sometimes. All of this parent drama has sucked the life out of Coach Z and his staff. I will continue to say this on here, if parents are willing to voice their opinions about a coach/program out in public or on forums, I can guarantee you they are saying the same things in their homes so their kids can hear it. How in the heck are coaches ever supposed to be successful when that crap is going on in our district?