Tom - From personal and up-close board time that we spent together one particular day, you know where I firmly stand on this. Plays before players.

For those who might want to hear why I approach it this way I will try to explain. Keep in mind that I'm not trying to convince anyone of anything. Just explaining how I approach it and why.

In the big leagues and in many successful endeavors, the plan is made first. 1) Owner has an overall vision. 2) GM is hired to oversee the vision. 3) coaches are hired to carry out the vision via play calling. 4) Trainers are hired to filter the talent that can make all of the above happen. So, after it has been tested and refined, THEN you look for SPECIFIC talent to fill the positions. Otherwise you end up with a lot of potential super stars but no team. They may not play well together. So you're back to developing or recruiting more "talent" trying to fill the void. This, to me, is working backwards. I prefer having the plans, then hiring, developing, recruiting the talent to implement the plan. However, YMMV (your mileage may vary).

Before I ever had a real team I had an extensive play book. My play book never gets any thinner (i never remove a play from it). But I sometimes (seldom) may add a play to it. So basically, the play book doesn't change. But the lot of players do. Once a team is fielded, the play book can be rearranged to suit that particular team's strengths and weaknesses. I.E., the plays that work best for that team simply move towards the front of the play book. Plays that do not get moved towards the rear.

I'm not saying my way is a bit better than another. It is better for me and I firmly believe in it. It also allows me to take almost any team with some sort of continuity and use it competitively.

All said, this is not the end step of winning. You also have to look at what particular venue you will compete at. Rules and equipment vary from one to another. So that plan (before players) has already been set out for you. Coaches like Adrian are successful because they prepare the game plan for the venue as well as their team. He has a higher probability of being successful with less superior player talent because he is prepared for the bigger picture. He is a very good coach. He is Cerebral, skillful and very deliberate in his approach. All he, and other coaches like him, needs is just enough team chemistry to be successful. Having more than that just makes it easier to execute.

There are quick and easy ways to discover who is crutching on what -Who is crutching on their dedication to preparation versus those crutching on Boom and Zoom players. We all crutch on something. That is a given. But the bigger questions we might ask ourselves is What do I crutch on and why? Answering those questions honestly tends to make us into better coaches in the long run.

-Mike Pratt