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Are Spring Games Necessary?


Proseteye

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Just wondering how folks feel about Spring Games and whether they are necessary or even desirable.

My take, for what it's worth, is that a game played in mid May, over 3 months before the start of the regular season does not make much sense. In fact I don't really see any tangible reason for the game as opposed to a KO Classic which is played a week before the regular season. With too little conditioning and practice time teams leave themselves open to unnecessary injuries. Plus, I fail to see what players and coaches are going to gain from such a game.  Also, some of those players may not still be on the team by the end of August.

This is only my take and is in no way definitive. Just looking for other perspective and viewpoints.  :unsure:

 

 

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I don't think you are wrong on this, Spring Games are overrated as a whole. No real need except to give players a goal. If any coach is playing a Spring Game to win a spring game, I think they are missing the point of a spring game.

Spring Game should be evaluative.

  • Can Johnny throw the basic passes we will need him to do?
  • Can Sammy block a guy, or was he overpowered?
  • Did Tommy make the right read on whether to give, keep, or pitch?
  • Did our defensive line show enough strength not to be pushed around?
  • What kind of numbers did my program have? How many of these kids showed up to off-season conditioning? How many of these kids will show up to summer conditioning?
  • Did every kid who came to practice everyday, did they play? Can I make a fair evaluation of them based on the volume of plays?

Coaches are asking are the wrong questions if they are asking:

  • Did we win the game ?
  • Did my OC/DC make the right calls?
  • What could have I done to win the game?

 

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On 4/27/2019 at 8:57 AM, Proseteye said:

Just wondering how folks feel about Spring Games and whether they are necessary or even desirable.

My take, for what it's worth, is that a game played in mid May, over 3 months before the start of the regular season does not make much sense. In fact I don't really see any tangible reason for the game as opposed to a KO Classic which is played a week before the regular season. With too little conditioning and practice time teams leave themselves open to unnecessary injuries. Plus, I fail to see what players and coaches are going to gain from such a game.  Also, some of those players may not still be on the team by the end of August.

This is only my take and is in no way definitive. Just looking for other perspective and viewpoints.  :unsure:

 

 

You learn more about your team and how to evaluate them when facing someone besides yourself so it's a useful tool for knowing what to work on during summer workouts and training camp

 

Teams aren't forced to play it so I have no problem with it

 

And most teams usually do a intersquad scrimmage as well as a spring game so they get best of both kinds of evaluation

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I think that a Spring Game is a must if you're going to give kids spring practice. It's hard to go out there and give them practices for 20 days if there's no game at the end of the month. Do I think the game itself is valuable? Maybe if you have a new coaching staff or a new group of kids at valuable positions. Overall, I'd say probably not. Most have altered rules or are in a jamboree format. As a coach, I do love having that time to help prepare kids too. I wouldn't trade those at all. 

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So, not being a football coach myself, but knowing quite a few of them, here are the types of things that I hear them saying. 

1.  "Reward" for the kids for 20 tough days (on top of all the conditioning that the kids may have been doing since last season ended).

2. For returning players, it's probably not that big of a deal (unless a player is going through a position change).   For new kids - even kids coming up from JV - the spring game is great for evaluation purposes.   Every coach has had a kid who looks like a frickin' all-state player in practice but shrinks up under the Friday night lights.  Similarly, there's usually a kid or two that can't quite put it together in practice, but turns it up a notch or two in a game.  Spring games help identify both. 

3.  Some coaches will use a spring game to make decisions on who a starter at a certain position will be, which is helpful with the short time before fall football starts and the short time between the start of fall football and the first regular season game. 

4.  Last, but not least, for some schools, a spring game helps them identify what their summer recruiting priorities will be.  Wait, did I just say that?   How insensitive of me.  B)

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Huge for the kids because college coaches can attend practices and the game. Big opportunity for the athletes. Have seen kids that were not on anyones radar before spring practice get noticed and recruited by colleges.

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Yes.

Here’s why:

1) Player evaluation. You get to see the guys put on pads and play in a real life situation. How did Timmy look at CB against the best WR in the city? How do John & Jimmy match up against each other come game time? 

2) Play-calling evaluation. How did we handle 3rd & 7 or long? How did our 4-2-5 look against a spread offense? 

3) Offseason lifting evaluation. Do the guys look bigger, faster, stronger than they did last season? 

4) A reward for the kids for putting in the work in spring practice.

5) Establishing that team’s identity. Did you work hard all winter to make the team more physical? Did that work? 

All the spring is, is an evaluation period. At least for good programs with good coaches. Seeing what went well, what went okay, and what just went to hell. It’s an excellent opportunity to get better and any time you can get better is a necessary and wonderful thing. 

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its 100% necessary, finish off the spring work with a game.

its the kids and coaches pay day.  you work 19 days to get paid on the 20th.

is it an eval? sure is.  for the entire program.  

learn how to do this, that and the other, as well as perform on friday night.

and what if,

your the hard luck program that doesnt win much.  the spring game may be the super bowl to jump start the program going forward.  beat somoene that you may not have any business beating and it can catapult the kids into a better frame of mind.  does it mean much, not really, but it sure can help a losing program turn the corner.

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I agree with pretty much everything said in this thread, but I've always viewed spring games as for the players, coaches and fans as a gauge of what they need to work on in summer. While nobody will publically admit it, I know for a fact that sources historically use spring game results to determine initial fall rankings. I think that's terrible. Some of the best teams in the state perform poorly in spring games or get run off the field from what I've seen because they're emphasizing a part of their game they may not normally emphasize.

  Sure there's some good match-ups on paper, but this is spring not the 3rd round of the playoffs or some huge week 7 match-up that everybody is excited for. I think it's a benefit for the teams, but not something to be viewed as the de facto reason a team will be good or a team has fallen from grace.

 

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I think that there should be a spring game but if teams don't want to have 1 then that's acceptable as well. It's a great way to evaluate your team. Get a sense of what your team can improve on especially seeing them against another opponent. Also gives college coaches a chance to scout early talent as well. Injuries are apart of them game so can get injured as well in the KOC. Kids want to play as many games as possible. Yeah it can be overrated but I thinks its beneficial for everyone.

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On 4/27/2019 at 8:57 AM, Proseteye said:

Just wondering how folks feel about Spring Games and whether they are necessary or even desirable.

My take, for what it's worth, is that a game played in mid May, over 3 months before the start of the regular season does not make much sense. In fact I don't really see any tangible reason for the game as opposed to a KO Classic which is played a week before the regular season. With too little conditioning and practice time teams leave themselves open to unnecessary injuries. Plus, I fail to see what players and coaches are going to gain from such a game.  Also, some of those players may not still be on the team by the end of August.

This is only my take and is in no way definitive. Just looking for other perspective and viewpoints.  :unsure:

 

 

It's been my experience here in SOWEGA, that teams who play Spring games, tend to have a leg up when approaching the Fall schedule! In the Spring, a coach is able to assess his talent pool in a real game situation against an opponent, and not against his own people! It also cuts out a large degree of assessment later, when the team only has ten days to prepare for the season in the Fall. It has worked fairly well for my lil team recently. As they have made it to the large class state semis or better, nine out of the past ten seasons! With the other being a quarterfinal exit, against the future state champions! 

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On 4/27/2019 at 1:42 PM, gatorman-uf said:

I don't think you are wrong on this, Spring Games are overrated as a whole. No real need except to give players a goal. If any coach is playing a Spring Game to win a spring game, I think they are missing the point of a spring game.

Spring Game should be evaluative.

  • Can Johnny throw the basic passes we will need him to do?
  • Can Sammy block a guy, or was he overpowered?
  • Did Tommy make the right read on whether to give, keep, or pitch?
  • Did our defensive line show enough strength not to be pushed around?
  • What kind of numbers did my program have? How many of these kids showed up to off-season conditioning? How many of these kids will show up to summer conditioning?
  • Did every kid who came to practice everyday, did they play? Can I make a fair evaluation of them based on the volume of plays?

Coaches are asking are the wrong questions if they are asking:

  • Did we win the game ?
  • Did my OC/DC make the right calls?
  • What could have I done to win the game?

 

Your mindset MAY be why most quality teams in Florida are PRIVATE, who recruit the universe! At public schools, coaches need time in the Spring to assess their upcoming talent!

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9 hours ago, ORabidOne said:

Your mindset MAY be why most quality teams in Florida are PRIVATE, who recruit the universe! At public schools, coaches need time in the Spring to assess their upcoming talent!

Isn't that what I said? Can Johnny throw? Can Sammy block? Isn't that what assessing your talent is?

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On 4/27/2019 at 8:57 AM, Proseteye said:

Just wondering how folks feel about Spring Games and whether they are necessary or even desirable.

My take, for what it's worth, is that a game played in mid May, over 3 months before the start of the regular season does not make much sense. In fact I don't really see any tangible reason for the game as opposed to a KO Classic which is played a week before the regular season. With too little conditioning and practice time teams leave themselves open to unnecessary injuries. Plus, I fail to see what players and coaches are going to gain from such a game.  Also, some of those players may not still be on the team by the end of August.

This is only my take and is in no way definitive. Just looking for other perspective and viewpoints.  :unsure:

 

 

Not in Florida! Because you boys haven't had the opportunity to fulfill all of your transfer quota, until the Fall!

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5 minutes ago, ORabidOne said:

Not in Florida! Because you boys haven't had the opportunity to fulfill all of your transfer quota, until the Fall!

Only reason schools like Colquitt, Tift, lowndes, ect. Aren't overrun with transfers is because they are so isolated from a major metro

 

The rural areas in FL get very few transfers

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11 hours ago, ORabidOne said:

Not in Florida! Because you boys haven't had the opportunity to fulfill all of your transfer quota, until the Fall!

There are approximately 750 High Schools in Florida, both public and private. Out of those there are maybe 25 to 30 schools that get any significant transfers or where any recruiting is going on. Out of those there may be 10 to 15 where transfers and/or recruiting makes much of a difference. So, I don't think that the state of Florida is a hotbed of transferring and recruiting as some people think.

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4 hours ago, Proseteye said:

There are approximately 750 High Schools in Florida, both public and private. Out of those there are maybe 25 to 30 schools that get any significant transfers or where any recruiting is going on. Out of those there may be 10 to 15 where transfers and/or recruiting makes much of a difference. So, I don't think that the state of Florida is a hotbed of transferring and recruiting as some people think.

Bingo

 

It's just a misconception because most people from outside of FL only know of STA and IMG and as a result think that's all the state has

 

People who actually know FL know that most of the state are cheating

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