A: That’s what I was looking for. What I was looking for is an opportunity for a small school that was starting a program or resurrecting a program, I was really looking for that. I think it’s easy to be in the position that I’ve been in to take on a winning program. I think that’s kind of the easy way out, just to me personally. I wanted a challenge, I love a challenge. To take a program that is struggling, I like the opportunity to turn it around. This is something I’ve been kind of itching for the past couple of years. It’s something that I’ve been looking forward to, to be honest with you.
Q: With that, what kind of realistic goal do you have for the 2009 Sebring Trojan team?
A: The first thing is to change the whole culture. The school has a great passion for its sports, but they’re really high on the basketball, baseball program, all that, but football I think is just accepted. The problem is you can’t accept losing; you can’t accept just being out on the field. I know they want more than that. I just felt that the culture here, it’s just almost “okay we know we’re losing” that’s about it; were losing players to West Branch, Alliance, and places like that. I know they wanted change, but I don’t know if they really knew how to go about it. That’s my whole thing. We’ve got to change the whole belief system in the football program. And that’s changing by example, that’s why getting kids in the weight room, that’s why getting kids to turn out, that’s why getting kids to stay out, to stay in the weight room, to believe in the goal that we are going to be competitive. That’s the big thing, I know with the players that we have, and the numbers, we’ll been fine next year as far as our ability to compete. The big thing is, it’s on us the coaches and myself to be prepared when we come out on to the field from the first game on.
Q: You kind of took away my next question; I was going to ask you the most important goal to changing the program around. Is it changing the mindset of the program?
A: Yeah, I think it really is. I think. I told the kids that in the meetings, I constantly talked to them, and I told the administration, I would not have taken the job if I didn’t think we could do it. If I thought it was just a dead end, were we would go in and maybe win a game or two and that would be it, I wouldn’t do it. I really believe that with the kids there, with the opportunities in the area, with the kids really buying in, the community really buying into what we’re doing, then we’ll be able to compete in the business, no doubt in my mind.
Q: At this point, are you kind of scouting your own team as far as size and speed and see what you have to work with?
A: Oh yeah, that’s one of the biggest things. Getting to meet the kids, getting them into the weight room, not only getting them in the weight room to work, because everybody’s doing that, but to also see exactly what you got, and where you’re at. What your kids can do. I’ve been really impressed with the group of kids coming in to work out. I like some of the athletes I see. I definitely think there is some very good talent that we have. That’s one of the negative things that I heard, that the cupboards bare, I don’t believe that. I think the junior class is very solid, about 15, 16 kids, that have a real good group as far as ability wise, work ethic wise, and all of that. I think that’s where a real starting point is, the incoming junior class.
Q: Again you jumped ahead to my next question. What has surprised you the most that you didn’t expect to find in the Sebring program?
A: That’s it. It was finding that the junior class, sophomore class, and a couple seniors, and that’s fine, when you’re building a program that’s a difference too, were also building a team. I talked to the coaches about, and the players, it doesn’t just happen overnight, I won’t say that. But I think there is great material to build with. That junior class was surprising because I liked the numbers; I liked the athleticism, the enthusiasm they have when working out, and the sophomores and incoming freshmen have fallen behind that and have done an excellent job too. So I think the approach they have taken so far is definitely right on track for what I would like to see as far as an off season workout goes.
Q: I’ve heard that so far you have increased numbers interested in playing. In talking with numerous coaches it always seems essential to have a junior varsity team to bridge the gap between junior high football and the varsity level with the speed of the game. Is that a goal of yours, to have a junior varsity team?
A: Oh yeah. I would love to have that. In the meantime, I think the real focus is going to be just really trying to get the numbers up, even if it’s a few guys here or there. I think they started the season last year with supposedly around 22 or 24 kids. If we can get the numbers in the thirties, that would be great! But I told the kids I’m not hard pressed on that fact, but if we get 25 kids working their tails off out there, and come out and play, we’ll be okay. I think we’ve got to prove ourselves out on the field. We’ve got to prove ourselves in the community as coaches and all getting into the primary school, getting into the middle school, fielding the middle school program, making sure we’re teaching technique from the young kids on up. So we have a base to build from, that’s where we’re taking this junior class right now, this is going to be our starting base to build on. It’s going to be the kids below that live in the area to do a lot of work with these kids, so we do get the numbers up where we do field a j-v team. Again that might not happen overnight, but that can definitely happen because if you keep the kids out, and we make sure the kids are eligible, the numbers will increase.
Q: What will we see in a Jay Brophy team? What kind of offensive and defensive teams will we see?
A: The bottom line is - what I really looked at in watching the films of the last year or so, what I want to really work on is basics. I want our team to be fundamentally sound. I think that’s one thing we can really approve in. We can improve in tackling, blocking all involved in our schemes. Offensively and defensively we’ve got to be able to do what works best for us. Now offensively for us we got some pretty good skilled athletes right now I think. We’ve got to find a way to take advantage of that. Defensively, we are going to have to stay IN one defense. In the past, when things weren’t working they changed defenses, and what we’re trying to do is be fundamentally sound. We’ll probably be in a 4-3 look, 4-3 or 4-4 look, and we’ll run schemes off that, but whatever, we’ll stay with that and we’re going to work on being sound. We just can’t have the glaring physical errors, missed tackles, missed assignments; those things are going to be important. You can make up for the lack of size, speed or whatever, if you’re technically sound and technique wise sound. That’s what we’re really focusing on.
Thank you coach, I really appreciate you taking the time, and good luck to you in 2009.
Sure thing, I appreciate it. Thank you.