Team Rules and Expectations

Grade Policy

• All players must have a physical on file (given after May 1). The physical must be in our possession before you can practice with the team. We will make a copy of all physicals and turn in the original to the office to be placed in your school file.
• All players must have an emergency card turned in before the first game.
•  Players must follow the district grade policy. A copy of the policy can be found above.
• All school rules regarding to behavior will be followed. In addition there are special team rules:

  -No fighting between team members, ever. Those involved will be removed from the team.

  -No cursing or trash talk to a game official. This will result in your being dropped from the team.

  -We expect your full cooperation and attention during practice. Running laps or other activities are required when you do not live up to this expectation. If you are a constant problem, you will be dropped from the team.

  -After school starts, you are expected to attend practice. Practice is where you learn the plays. It is where you learn to block and tackle safely. If you miss a practice you will not start the next game. After a fourth missed practice your gear will be pulled and you are off of the team. (NOTE: Why you miss practice is not an issue. The fact that you are not there is the problem.) Players that are injured are still expected to attend practice. You will not have to dress, however, you can see and learn new plays. Students dropped for attendance can appeal to the head coach.

   

• Pads and helmets are not to be taken home. Practice pants, jerseys, and girdle pads should be taken home to wash each week. Game shirts and pants will be given out the day before the game. Game pants and shirts are turned in right after the game.
• Injuries must be reported immediately. Bumps and bruises are to be expected and will receive little if any sympathy. Injuries will be dealt with either by the coaches or the trainer.
• Proper blocking and tackling techniques must be used. Anyone found to be spearing with a helmet or using any other dangerous (or illegal) technique will be given extra laps. As with any other problem, if you keep doing things like this you will have to find another team to do it on as you will not be on ours.
• We have several team managers. These young ladies work for the coaching staff and are not there to run errands for team members. The managers are to be treated with respect.
• You are not guaranteed playing time. We will make an effort to get all players into all games. This does not always work. Players that demonstrate ability or "heart" at practice will find that they get more game time than those who do not. If the game is close we will rely on those players that have shown that they know what they are doing and have some ability to get the job done. This is where paying attention in practice pays off. With two minutes to go in a close game, someone that does not know if they should turn right or left on a given play will not get in the game. Winning is not everything, however, we are not here to give games away either.
• Remember we play 6 games of 32 minutes each. That is 192 minutes of football, not counting any scrimmage time. To get some of these minutes we expect several things. You need to be attentive. You need to know when the defense or offense is going in or coming out. You need to know what your job is. What do you do on each play? It is hard to play someone that does not know how to block or which direction to cut. You need to want to play football. If you show no desire or spirit you will not be high on the list. This spirit and desire should be seen at practice as well as on game day.
• You tell us what you want to play and we will tell you where we need you. Would you rather be a third string running back or a first string guard?
• You will be expected to run to the huddle and run to your position. Those going on to the field or going to the bench will be expected to run to get there. You should give the impression that you want to play football. This also keeps the other team off balance.
• Spiking the ball and doing a victory dance is well and good for the pros. At our level it can get you a delay of game, or un-sportsmen like conduct penalty. We expect you to know and do your job. You should not be surprised or overjoyed when you do.
• After a play is finished, all players are expected to return to the huddle or the sideline. This should be at a jog or run. The faster we can get ready for the next play the more plays we have time to run. The more plays we run the more time there is for everyone to play football. We will not wait for the other team to get ready. We will do our job, they can do theirs.
• We expect a positive attitude. Team members should never bad-mouth each other. If a player needs to be talked to about their performance, that is the job of the coach, not another player. If you can not say good things, do not say anything at all.
• Good sportsmanship is expected at all times. It makes no difference if you are in the game or on the bench. You are expected to conduct yourself in such a way as to maintain the honor of your school and team. Referees make mistakes, all people do. There are times when you feel that the other team has an extra player on the field in a striped shirt. You are still expected to be the best you can be.
• Not all schools have the same high expectations of their players that we do. Do not sink to their level. The fact that they trash talk or call names does not give you permission to act just as bad. Most of these things are done to get you mad and make you loose your concentration. A player focused on the game tends to do much better than one more interested in the side show.
• After school starts, the district provides bus transportation home after practice. Good behavior on the bus is expected. A bus referral will result in additional running or push-ups. It could result in your being removed from the bus and having to make your own arrangements to get home from practice.
• Equipment. You are expected to take care of all of your issued equipment. If anything breaks or gets torn, report it to the assistant coach for replacement or repair. Equipment not returned at the end of the season will be reported to the athletic director. A fine will be assessed for the missing items.
• You may not add additional equipment to your uniform without clearing it with the head coach. The coaches are responsible for your safety and need to inspect any items you might want to add. This includes visors, additional pads or rolls or any other non-issued item. We must make sure it fits with M.H.S.A.A. rules and league practice.

  

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Cut Policy

There are only so many uniforms available.  We will carry between 45 and 55 players on the team.  This final number is determined by how many players we can safely uniform and supervise with the equipment and coaching staff available that season.

Cuts are based on:

Grades. Students going into the 8^th grade will have the last card marking grades checked. Those below a 2.0 will not make the first cut. Those below a 1.5 will not be considered for the team at all. If your grades were between 1.6 and 1.9 you will be considered for the second round, but do not hold your breath. We do not want to use coaching time on players that may not be eligible to play for us in games.

Ability. Can you play football? Here we are looking for skills such as speed, agility, technique, and stamina.

 Desire. How bad do you want to play? We are looking for people that run to the huddle. We are looking for people that have a positive attitude. We are looking for people that do not make excuses (you can make mistakes and learn from them).

 Football Sense. It is one thing to know the rules and the plays. We are looking for people that have a feel for the game. They know what is going on in the game and what might be needed next. This is the person that knows that when your team is running the extra point that the kick off team is next. They also know to get ready to go in if they are on that special unit. They know that when the other team fumbles, we go on offence and are ready to go in as soon as the ref signals possession.

 Attitude. Football is a team game. People ready and willing to support the needs of the team ahead of their personal wants are what make teams successful. If all you are interested in are your personal statistics, you might want to consider bowling instead. A good attitude may be the reason to keep a marginal skill player and give them another look.