I think from some comments I received I may have been misunderstood. A good coach at any level empowers the athlete. They are not robots. On the other hand empowering the athlete is not letting the inmates run the asylum. It is clear who is the leader and the captain of the ship. It does not have to be my way or the highway, but everyone needs to be clear on the desired destination and the means to reach that destination. In the case of the Arizona Cardinal offensive coordinator, ultimately is he who is accountable for the team’s offensive performance, it is his job to judge who is being productive, during a game a match it is not his job to give the player an explanation. Discussions with players take place off the field in an office. If a player wants to talk to a coach that coach should be approachable, but remember there is a proper time and a place. Will there be confrontations? I sure hope not, but in the heat of a game or a spirited training session a confrontation is possible. When that happens no one wins. As a leader and a teacher a coach has to make hard decisions, decisions that may not be popular but that are for the good of the team. The coach has the big picture in mind, sometimes the athlete does not. I have found that in today’s society at every level of sport it is more prevalent for the athlete to be concerned about their stats or minutes than the team performance. With today’s generation there is an I in team, which makes the coaches job that much tougher.
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