How Will The Dawgs Do This Season?

Where is the VFW in Cove?

THEMEANOGRE wrote:

Coach Welch announced his intention to retire last season. Or ha he retracted that?

He won't retire he gets too much of our money.

ArmySarge wrote:

Where is the VFW in Cove?

The VFW is located on Veterans Ave in Cove.

Retired 1SG wrote:

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I didn't know Brandin Byrd was going to participate in the Junior Olympics. That is great. Hope he brings home some hardware as did Robert Griffin and Troy Vital last year.
Fried chicken in the press box? Bill, lay off the fatty, fried foods. Get a veggie platter. Then after the game stop at the V and wash it down with a few cold ones!!

Brandin is a special young man. During Harry's first tour in Iraq Brandin was my shaddow. He sat with me in the press box and kept my stats. Les Ledger used to kid me about bringing my kid up only after the grownups had had a shot at the chow. The lad could eat even when he was a Jr High player. Thanks for the invite but I'll be putting my story together after the game. Also I never have a drink and drive. Not even one. I'll be proud to kick back with that cold one in my den with you and watch the Cowgirls or my Giants play, but Friday's are the Dawgs and Saturdays are my UMHB Crusaders.

Hunto wrote:

<quoted text>He won't retire he gets too much of our money.

I know Jack and the Welch's pretty well. Never heard of a remote suggestion from him about retiring. Havn't even heard the rumor from the local sports press corps much less Jack. I don't understand the reasoning for the suggestion. He's at the top of his career. He's built one of the most respected programs in the state. He's young and he's generally considered by virtually everybody in the business to be one of the top ten coaches in the state. The man does make good money and given the job he does for the community as well as the kids he probably deserves a raise. Quit? I don't think the word is in the Welch vocabulary.

If I'm mistaken, OOOOPs. I can't remember where, but at the end of last season I'd heard he'd announced that he was retiring. Or maybe I heard someone ask the question, "When is Welch going to retire?"
I have to agree that he's built quite a program! I just hope that the venues who take in his products are worthy of them.

THEMEANOGRE wrote:

If I'm mistaken, OOOOPs. I can't remember where, but at the end of last season I'd heard he'd announced that he was retiring. Or maybe I heard someone ask the question, "When is Welch going to retire?"
I have to agree that he's built quite a program! I just hope that the venues who take in his products are worthy of them.

Don't worry about the oops,Mean. I have had sports articles published both free lance and as a string writer for close to 20 years. I don't think I can name a prominent coach at the high school or college level that the retirement rumor hasn't been heard on an anual basis. I have no idea why but it seems to be part of the game. The contribution that Jack Welch and the Welch family make to this community reaches far beyond the game of football. Criticism comes with the job of course and Jack has the shoulders to carry it. Beyond the gridiron he has turned potential problems in our community into God fearing, well mannered and college educated young people. I don't know how to measure the effect of turning community problems into community assets. I take issue with the guy who said he wasn't going to retire because he has to much of OUR money. I thought money belonged to the employee that earned it even tax money. If you are working for GE and you get your pay check is the money still GE's or is it yours? Jack earns HIS money and then some.

You're right about that, Bill.(See, we do agree on a few things!!)
These kids he turns out are a great asset to this community. They are the most respectful kids I have ever met.
Years ago when Jack Welch was going to leave for a college position he thankfully changed his mind at the last minute. Cove is all the better for it.

I won't say it is a bad thing, but last season when were a 5A grade team stuck in 4A because of a UIL screw up, I took issue with keeping first string players in the game as long as Coach Welch did. With some of the teams we played last season, the only reason to have played 1st stringers at all was mere courtesy. It says something about a match up when one team runs up 10 points in the first two minutes, and the final score has a differential of 35 points.

First off, we had the enrollment figures to be in 4-A the last time the UIL did realignment.
We're back in 5-A now, just barely. We are a whole whooping 5 students or so over the cutoff for 5-A. We're now the smallest 5-A school in Central Texas.
You've got to play your starters enough to keep them sharp. And that usually means let them play at least one half of the game. If you don't, the other team could turn it around quickly with your starters on the bench and you could lose momentum. There were some games where I wish he wouldn't have substituted so soon. And I hope he doesn't do it too soon this year either, as it's payback time for Killeen Ellison!!

There were a few games when he really should've switched to 3rd stringers just to keep the other team from looking sooo bad. Personally, I can't really fathom why they allow the different "strings". My thought is that each player should be in rotation at their position to start. If they are healthy enough to play, they should start every third or fourth game. That is why they are there to play. A friend played high school ball and was on the third string all the way through. He got to play the very LAST game of his career. He caught the game winning pass.

This ain't the city park league. High school football in Texas is a big business.
Therefore, you'd better have a winning program. You play your starters until it's obvious the game is won. Along the way you can sub here or there, but pull out your entire first team and momentum could shift.

THEMEANOGRE wrote:

There were a few games when he really should've switched to 3rd stringers just to keep the other team from looking sooo bad. Personally, I can't really fathom why they allow the different "strings". My thought is that each player should be in rotation at their position to start. If they are healthy enough to play, they should start every third or fourth game. That is why they are there to play. A friend played high school ball and was on the third string all the way through. He got to play the very LAST game of his career. He caught the game winning pass.

Wow, I guess that's why they say "oppinions vary". I have heard knowledgeable fans (mostly not Dawg fans) claim Jack plays his starters to much and runs up the score. Vertually all to the Centex press corps all but laugh at the fact that he tries his best to hold down the score and has to much class. I know agaist Tuluso Midway when we won by more than 70 points he was playing guys none of us in the press box had even heard of. By the 4th quarter he was playing four kids from the band, two of the cheerleaders and three moms had suited up. I have personally come to the conclusion that he cuts a lot of slack when the game is in hand early in the non-district part of the season. However, his starters get a lot more playing time as he gets closer to the playoffs. Frankly, nothing is a valuable to a player as playing time and most in the business agree that the starters should be worked a lot prior to the playoffs. As for the playoffs: Beating a playoff opponent by 50 points gives you an edge over the next playoff team. If your team is well displined they won't get over confident but the messase you send to your next opponent is extremely valuable. A head coach owes it to his guys to give them the best shot at the title. I don't think you can find a player on Jack's roster who doesn't see a lot of minutes early in the season. I could be wrong but a lot of stat sudy went into this conclusion.

Very true, Bill.
Against that inept Tuloso Midway team he was subbing in the first quarter. He did the same a a year earlier against Shoemaker when the Dawgs were up by 50 at halftime.
The starters earn the right to start. They must be kept sharp or come a key game or playoffs they might not be fine tuned as they should.

I am totally against the idea of sports as a profession. I think every school should have competitive teams in all fields of endeavor, so that the participants can test themselves against others. Above that, competitive endeavors should be continued at the college level. Beyond that, competitive pursuits should be limited to personal and community activities. The participants on a city's football team, unless independently wealthy or retired, would be required to maintain regular employment and live within the municipality. These teams would then compete against other teams in the state level league. Champions at the state level could then compete at the national level.

I can tell you're not big on the NFL, NBA or MLB, and that's fine. I do think those players are vastly overpaid for basically playing a kids' game.
And while many of these overpaid prima donnas end up afoul of the law, there are just as many that do good in their communities, i.e., Tommie Harris donated money for a kids' rec center, etc.
They make a ton of $$, but they also pay a ton of tax $$.
Pro sports is a way of life in this country. And, unfortunately, college football, at least Div 1-A, is the training ground for the NFL.

Both Top and Mean have some valid points. I was once a big NFL fan, but I out grew it lol. Actually I do watch some pro stuff now but I am not near the fan I once was. I much prefer college to pro and in most cases high school to college. I used to believe that the pro guys were over paid until it dawned on me that none of them actually get paid for playing a game. Bluntly, they are professional intertainers. If Frank Sonatra could make millions for singing a song how come these guys can't make millions for playing a game? The owners of the record company made millions off Frank's songs and the owners of the pro teams make millions off the efforts of the athletes. With all due respect to "Old Blue Eyes" I would think taking on some 300 lb lineman is a tad more work than singing for 2 minutes. I agree with Mean when it comes to school competion being important beyond sports. My favorite compitition is the UIL one act play contest. Talk about pressure. I participated in football and OAPC at Tyler Lee. The 30 minute District season of stage was much tougher than any game I ever played. There was no next game if you blew it on stage. Months of work came down to a win or go home 30 minutes. We have a great Drama Department at Cove who should get a LOT more support.

I hate to sound like a homer but do you guys realize that virtually a third of the voters in the poll feel the Dawgs "will not make the playoff" That means they really believe Cove will finish below third in the district. I understand that sports forcasts are strictly oppinion and try to respect everyones but wether you like or hate the Dawgs how in the world do you pick them for 4th place or lower in a District that Dave Cambel has pickted them to win? WOW!

I think, Bill, that a lot of people look at the Dawgs and see question marks like who's going to play QB, what about the OL and DL.
What they fail to consider is that Cove has these problems every two years or so. After the great 2005 team, with QB Brent Garner, RB Donald Buckrum and those two huge offensive linemen Roberto Davis and Matt Schoonover, many felt that the Dawgs wouldn't be very good. Well, a couple of guys named Griffin, Millsap, Vital, Brock, another Brock, etc made sure they'd continue the strong Dawg tradition.
And I think the same will continue this year.
Will the Dawgs go undefeated? Perhaps. Will they go to State again? Probably not.
However, they'll make a serious run for the district championship and go to the playoffs.

CenTexDave wrote:

I think, Bill, that a lot of people look at the Dawgs and see question marks like who's going to play QB, what about the OL and DL.
What they fail to consider is that Cove has these problems every two years or so. After the great 2005 team, with QB Brent Garner, RB Donald Buckrum and those two huge offensive linemen Roberto Davis and Matt Schoonover, many felt that the Dawgs wouldn't be very good. Well, a couple of guys named Griffin, Millsap, Vital, Brock, another Brock, etc made sure they'd continue the strong Dawg tradition.
And I think the same will continue this year.
Will the Dawgs go undefeated? Perhaps. Will they go to State again? Probably not.
However, they'll make a serious run for the district championship and go to the playoffs.

We are returning a great All-State leader of our offensive line. We are returning a running back who is big, fast and smart and who averaged over 6 yds per carry last year. We still got a Brock left in our stable. The Dawgs JV Gold or JV Blue team could have made the playoffs last year. To speculate on our shot at state is one thing, but to suggest these guys will finish out of the playoffs means they will finish 4th or worse in a fairly good district. Come on now, folks. With Temple in the mix debate wether we will win the district title is fair. To debate wether or not we'll be in the top three in this district, come on now gang.