So, yeah, I haven’t done anything for the official start of the 2008 Wyoming high school football season.
Know why?
Because Zero Week is a waste.
Not a waste in the sense that players and coaches don’t get anything out of it. They do. Be it in a scrimmage, a jamboree or an actual real game, Zero Week does give players a chance to feel real hits from players they don’t know, coaches a chance to see what works and what doesn’t.
The thing is, nobody really cares about it. Even in the real, four-quarter, officiated games, teams don’t take stats. They can barely remember who scored the touchdowns. And if they lose, they just chalk it up as a scrimmage game that doesn’t mean anything anyway.
I say, if you’re going to scrimmage, then scrimmage. Keep your practice jerseys on, let the officials stay home and scrimmage. None of this hairy “let’s play three quarters and then do situational drills” waste.
And if you’re going to play a game, play a game. Play to win. Keep stats. Put your best players on the field and try to outscore the other guys’ best players. Don’t hold back simply because it doesn’t count for your playoff seeding.
Rant over. For now.
–patrick