Sunday, January 4, 2009

Some of the toughest coaching is knowing when to get out of your own way

One of the luxuries of in playing in a January bowl game is that you have a month and a half to prepare.

Of course, it's also one of the challenges.

As this article puts it, "when you have six weeks to get ready for one game, there's a lot of coaching that can be done ... or not done."

Ohio State coach Jim Tressel, whose team plays Texas in the Fiesta Bowl tomorrow night, "talked about trimming down the game plan this week, and... made it sound like some of the toughest coaching is knowing when to get out of your own way."

"You've got to be a little careful about time," Tressel said, "because all of a sudden you start doing some things you aren't best suited to do. I've been in bowl games when you get to that day before the bowl and you've been working for 16 practices and you say, 'Forget this stuff. We're going back to what we always do.'"