Doing What it Takes to Make Great Coaches Comfortable

[Reginald Rutledge]

Most who know me in the MF Community know that I am strong proponent of the triple threat quarterback (TTQB) and natural base tweaking. I am one of those who believe that the original makers of the game designed the TTQB for the purpose of throwing the ball and kicking the ball. I have always felt that the insecurities we as youngsters had with using that QB still lies in our pysche, thus other methods of passing have been introduced.

Every once in awhile, something more important than the skill to throw takes precedence over hitting a 40 yard pass between double coverage. I remember on the PGA tour a few seasons ago, Casey (I forgot his last name) was broiled in controversy about having to walk the course with the other golfers instead of use a cart.

Being a person who is considered handicapped with my speech impediment, I know the frustrations that Casey must have felt. Wanting to compete against the best in the world but having an asterisk placed by your name was something he did not want! At least for that season, the PGA did allow him to participate on the tour. To me, a physical limitation which does not allow you to compete was something that needed to be looked at in the DFW League.

Being a league that loves to use the TTQB, consider what you would expect guys to say about competing in league competition (not tournament) against a guy who brings more to the league than most members. We were pressed with this situation with Mantaray 'Dre.

Manataray 'Dre and I first approached this topic at the Texas Shootout. As many of you may know, Andre has some problems throwing with the TTQB. We discussed creating a mechanism so he could compete using the TTQB. By the time I got around to really exploring an apparatus, 'Dre had already invented his own tool. Because he did not want any sympathy, 'Dre wanted to compete equally with the other coaches. 'Dre is a great competitor and wonderful friend of mine and sometimes discussing delicate topics can be uncomfortable. However, everybody knows each other. Most people know I can't talk A LICK but somehow, I tend to be in every heated discussion on line. 'Dre is no different, he's a fighter!

So anyhow, when the league started, we wanted 'Dre to look at an alternative method. This method is more difficult than pass simulation and less time is spent. Coaches approached me in the DFW about doing this for our brother! 'Dre brings so much energy to the league that sometimes you cater to your stars. He's one of our biggest stars! We wanted 'Dre to compete and possibly win a championship. As long as the cards were stacked against him, winning the title would be difficult, but not impossible.

So we introduced to 'Dre a passing system that I had invented many years ago. It goes in hand with "The Box" and it was created for some of my childhood friends who were paraplegic or suffered from multiple sclerosis. I was always one who wanted these guys to be a part of what we did because they added great energy and inspiration to the league. When we introduced this to 'Dre, he was hesistant, asking "What would guys say if I win?" My reply was, "They would say congratulations Champ and we are glad that you did it". Dre would go into the DFW Hall of Fame and the rest would be history.
Dre began to warm up to the idea. Another coach, Kevin Boddie from DC, was one of the ones spearheading the push to bring this to the league. We are so glad that he did. Boddie had an impact on us and Mantaray had an impact on the league.

The first thing out of 'Dre's mouth was maybe you can show this to Jim Davis from the Great Lakes League. I told him Jim and I were good friends and we could talk. I felt that this was something that maybe the Great Lakes would consider. When you're talking about great guys, Jim Davis ranks high. Sometimes I thought, you make exceptions to the rules and to allow this great guy a chance to compete with an alternative method, maybe this would expedite the time to pass and not allow teams to just stack to stop his run and not cover the pass.

Then I thought about my partner out in the LAEFL, Jeff Eby. I thought just maybe the LAEFL would give this alternative pass method a look-see as well. They use "The Box" and this fits right in. I also thought about Winkdawg as well. He's another good brother that just want to play and have a chance to compete.

For me, this was different than allowing pass simulation in the DFW. This was different because the difficulty level of this system is on par with NFL accuracy plus this is what guys approved of.

Every once in a while, when you have transcended players, you do what is in the best interest of the game to make sure they are happy. We do whatever it takes to keep the great guys in our league. I had a chance to speak with Jim Davis on this system several times and he love the system. No doubt, Jim has shown his greatness by leading the Great Lakes in rushing and going to last year's Super Bowl. I do understand they allow him more time to pass but with his physical limitations, sometimes he may not pass even though he want to pass. This system eliminates all of that.

I am attaching a copy of the DFW Alternative Pass Method. We've got two coaches in the DFW who are eligible to use this method. This is not something I am trying to create ANY type of controversy on. Like the "toy" word, please don't come at me saying "Wow, Reg is arguing for pass simulation" or anything to that nature. I have never been against pass simulation, please understand that. I am just introducing a method that we use for guys who have some limitations. These guys are among our most prized coaches because their persona stretches past the simple game itself.