7 on 7

[BigRedBuster]

I'm getting my eyes opened to something following this Calabasas group.

It is absolutely amazing how much time these kids in areas like California put into football. I knew it was stressed more than in Nebraska, but, They literally play it year round. No wonder these kids are more developed as a player when they get here.

ALSO, I think it plays a major part in these top recruits wanting to play in an offense that has a good passing attack.

Now, I also think that we have athletic kids in the midwest that can play football. But, when they get to campus, they have to basically be brought up to the same level these other kids are at when they touch down in Lincoln. This usually means a redshirt year and possibly even not seeing the field till maybe their Junior year.

So, question is, how do we get Nebraska football up to this? It is almost impossible for small town Nebraska to put a consistent 7 on 7 team out in the spring. These kids are typically a 3 sport athlete and competing in track or baseball.

 

[Atbone95]

28 of the 31 first round picks this draft did NOT specialize and play football year round.

 

[husker98]

This has been the big conundrum for Northern schools here of late.

I guess gym football leagues could be setup but not enough schools would have big enough gyms I don't think.

Plus in many communities winter/spring sports are as popular as football or like in mine wrestling is almost more important due to long running success.

I always thought the best way to bridge this gap would be for spring and summer 7-7 football leagues.

I don't know if our kids would be as advanced technically as the cally and southern kids, but it could reduce the gap between perhaps.

 

[BigRedBuster]

28 of the 31 first round picks this draft did NOT specialize and play football year round.

I'm assuming you are talking about this.


If my count is correct, 14 out of 31 first round picks are of a position that wouldn't compete in 7 on 7 such as linemen. (i'm not sure what positions on defense play these. I'm assuming DBs and LBs.

Also, I'm not sure the draft is a good example of exactly what I'm talking about. Obviously a kid can catch up with good coaching in college over 4-5 years. But, I'm more interested in the other end of the deal on which ones are more ready to contribute to a top D1 program right out of HS.

Also, I'm sure there are guys that play basketball in the winter and then still spend all of spring and summer playing 7 on 7.

 

[Mavric]

[No message]

 

[BigRedBuster]

That's great. Got the Nebraska teams, how many tournaments do they play a year?

I don't even know a team that goes to that. I wouldn't be surprised if this is the only tournament snowy go to.

 

[SuperBigFan69]

The Bell West one is in year two now and they changed up the format. You don't really need a big field for it either. They do one in Kearney (or they did) and Prep is hosting one (it will be terrible) this summer for grades 3-8.

 

[girlknowsfootball]

There's a big difference for sure. My high school in Texas has an indoor practice facility, 3 football fields, it's own 12,000 seat stadium that gets sold out for a lot of games, and they have trainers for the team. If you wanted to play varsity football there you had to have a personal trainer year round, and go to this football performance center in the offseason. They also have nutrition plans for these guys and locker rooms with name plates, massage chairs, 55" ultra 4K tv's and video games.

 

[StPaulHusker]

There's a big difference for sure. My high school in Texas has an indoor practice facility, 3 football fields, it's own 12,000 seat stadium that gets sold out for a lot of games, and they have trainers for the team. If you wanted to play varsity football there you had to have a personal trainer year round, and go to this football performance center in the offseason. They also have nutrition plans for these guys and locker rooms with name plates, massage chairs, 55" ultra 4K tv's and video games.

You just described everything that is wrong with high school athletics.

 

[wiuhusker]

If I were a college coach, I would put more stock into kids that have played or are currently playing more than 1 sport. With the background in athletics i have, i've seen it happen too many times where a kid puts everything they have into one sport for 6-8 years then goes to college and its not fun anymore. Kids are getting burned out at younger and younger ages all the time.

If the kid is a good enough athlete to play multiple sports, let them. The only person that's getting hurt by forcing a kid to chose a sport is the kid. Drives me nuts when club/aau/"select programs" force kids to pick a sport and stick with it. Let the kid be an athlete.

 

[girlknowsfootball]

If I were a college coach, I would put more stock into kids that have played or are currently playing more than 1 sport. With the background in athletics i have, i've seen it happen too many times where a kid puts everything they have into one sport for 6-8 years then goes to college and its not fun anymore. Kids are getting burned out at younger and younger ages all the time.

If the kid is a good enough athlete to play multiple sports, let them. The only person that's getting hurt by forcing a kid to chose a sport is the kid. Drives me nuts when club/aau/"select programs" force kids to pick a sport and stick with it. Let the kid be an athlete.

Imo some of the best DT's are those who wrestled in hs and developed hand strength through something like throwing the discus.

 

[Savage Husker]

There's a big difference for sure. My high school in Texas has an indoor practice facility, 3 football fields, it's own 12,000 seat stadium that gets sold out for a lot of games, and they have trainers for the team. If you wanted to play varsity football there you had to have a personal trainer year round, and go to this football performance center in the offseason. They also have nutrition plans for these guys and locker rooms with name plates, massage chairs, 55" ultra 4K tv's and video games.

You just described everything that is wrong with high school athletics.

if you want to know everything wrong about high school programs, follow the story about Bellevue High School just outside of Seattle, WA, the team who took down De La Salle for the first time in 100+ games. Here's a link to one story, other links/stories are included in the article. Spoiler alert, UNC style of academics and impermissible benefits to kids outside of school district. http://www.seattletimes.com/sports/high-school/bellevue-football-report-finds-coaches-violated-rules-for-years-district-obstructed-investigation/

 

[SuperBigFan69]

Every high school coach wants players to play a bunch of different sports… And less they are a jacka$$ of a coach

 

[wiuhusker]

Every high school coach wants players to play a bunch of different sports… And less they are a jacka$$ of a coach

Unfortunately I've seen it happen too many times. Too many times all people care about are W/L on the scoreboard and not the actual development of the kids.

 

[Atbone95]

Every high school coach wants players to play a bunch of different sports… And less they are a jacka$$ of a coach

Unfortunately I've seen it happen too many times. Too many times all people care about are W/L on the scoreboard and not the actual development of the kids.

I'm graduating college here soon, but have younger siblings still in middle school & high school. I was fortunate to grow up in small-town Columbus, NE where I played 3 sports and excelled. When I graduated, my family moved to Omaha, and the specialization reality has hit hard. After playing three sports her freshman year, each coach pulled my younger sister into their office to essentially ask her what the hell she was doing. The first time she heard it, she was very confused and asked what they meant.

"No one does that here. Maybe it was different in a small town, but here you pick one."

Not only is it sh**ty for the development of the athlete, but its hard in those instances. My siblings are great athletes, but its been a steep learning curve (1) choosing a single sport and (2) catching up development wise to kids that have been specializing in that sport year round for the last 4-5-6 years.