Joe Bugel has seen a lot in his 30-plus years of coaching in the NFL. At 68, he still has immense energy and passion for the game.
Below is some great insight from Coach Bugel, who has two Super Bowl rings:
On veteran players:
"I like veteran guys, I really do. They're smart. They've been in the system. You can't worry about age. It's how their health is and how they can play. Some of these young kids are up-down, up-down. A lot of those young guys get saucer eyes when they face an all-pro opponent."
On teaching:
“Teach what a player can't do. Don't keep working on things he's great at. Learn what his weakness is and beat on that every single day."
On team chemistry:
"I think our team realizes that talent doesn't just win; you've gotta have chemistry. You can't build chemistry. The players have to do that.”
THE IMPORTANCE OF KEEPING A STAFF TOGETHER
According to Arizona Cardinals Head Coach Whisenhunt:
“We felt like we made progress last season and if you have a change in your staff you’re going to lose some of that, because you’re trying to catch the new coaches up to speed. Now as a group, we know the corrections we made last year and the process we went through last year. It’s invaluable. You build a level of trust with your team. It makes things smooth, instead of arguments and disagreements.
Coaches who are passionate are always going to have opinions, and sometimes you are going to butt heads, but the ability to be able to do that and come to a resolution as to what the best thing to do and move forward is the product of a coaching staff that has good chemistry.”
A COACH WHO WAS LIKE A PROFESSOR
Fifty years ago, a coach by the name of Bud O'Meara led Stamford (Conn.) High School to consecutive state football titles, going 18-0.
I saw a note about Coach O'Meara, who died recently at the age of 90, and was impressed by what a colorful life he lived. Some highlights:
He attended Notre Dame on a football scholarship, playing for coach Elmer Layden, one of the Four Horsemen. He was also a member of ND's basketball and gymnastics teams. He graduated from Notre Dame in 1941 and went on to earn a Master's degree from Fairfield University.
After college, he served as a Lieutenant in the Navy, flying off battleships. He earned the Air Medal for his combat duty.
After World War II, he joined the staff at Stamford High, where he'd gone to school, taking over as head coach in 1958. In addition to coaching football, he also coached American Legion Baseball teams for almost a decade, winning five Connecticut State Championships, and was a scout for the NY Giants.
Here's how those who knew him described him:
"He was a great organizer. He broke down every element of the game and had everyone practice in groups rather than as a team. He was also a great motivator. He had respect for the players and never raised his voice, but he was a great disciplinarian and there was no fooling around while he was coaching. 'Buddy' was a very principled man and a man you wanted to follow. He was a great mentor for me."
"He was very precise about everything. He was a perfectionist. Coach O'Meara was stern, but not vociferous, but you knew he meant business at all times."
"He was like a professor. He went over all the little details. He was always encouraging and explained how to do the right thing as opposed to what you did wrong."
"He gave the coaches the independence to do what they had to do with the offense or defense or special teams. He was a character builder and had strong motivational techniques."
