Last Chance U

She cares because she busts her ass to make sure these guys don't screw up their shot at D1 -- or at least graduation -- on her watch.

The coach doesn't care because he's screaming at a player for being a pussy for not playing with a concussion. Buddy Stephens is a piece of shit. He had a staff with some pretty good guys on it. They cared. He does not. By the end, there doesn't seem to be anyone -- player, ex-player, staffer or coach -- that doesn't hate his guts.

 

Take a deep breath. Count to 10.

 

Eh, never mind. If I realized you were just third-rate trolling I wouldn't have bothered.

 

No need for you to get all worked up. Stephens isn't a good guy, but she is getting a little too much credit. She treats some 19-year-old kids like 3rd or 4th graders.

 

Stephens really sets a horrible example with his mouth. Not by cursing but by stuffing chewing tobacco in his cheek like the redneck he is.

 

Just finished the last episode. What that fatass, chaw chewing mouth breather did to his offensive coordinator was just that: offensive. And emasculating. With basically his entire staff turning over for this year I hope they struggle and suck. I also hope Wood catches on with a bigger job.

 

Just finished the third episode. Does nobody at that JC read or watch the news about concussions?

The RB is concussed in game 3; he comes back in game 4, needs to come out of the game, feels like he is going to throw up - and the head coach is like "He didn't even get hit in the head!?!"

yikes.

 

The thing I've taken away from this show after watching two seasons is that the least competent coach in that program is the head coach. Every other assistant seems to bond with and teach these kids. Stephens sits and screams but doesn't do a whole lot of teaching. Or coaching. Or mentoring. Or anything, other than dispensing words of wisdom like "play like fuck." He essentially struts around the complex like the Alpha he is but probably couldn't tell you one thing about any of his players or assistants.

 

That frustrated the shit out of my wife, who is a teacher. My wife thought she babied those young men way too much. My wife said holds her own third grade class more accountable than Brittany held those 18- and 19-year olds. But of course, they probably got wind that Brittany is a pushover and they knew that at the end of the day, she'd do it for them.

 

Both last season and the first few games of this season, he throws those assistants under the bus every single time it is pressure time during a game. Just a terrible manager.

Its not even close, the best leader by far is DJ, the former FSU QB. The only guy who consistently shows leadership skills during times of crisis. Love him, and the backup qb, with the colored dreads.

 

I think this a classic example of an abundance of talent making up for a lack of coaching (at least in the head coach department). East Mississippi has been able to assemble the best of the best when it comes to JUCO football players. They're not getting those borderline kids who aren't big enough for D-1, but don't want to give up on football yet. They're getting bonafide D-1/NFL prospects who have screwed up. They had a defensive line that a mid-major could only dream of having.

As a friend and colleague used to always say (about a high school program in the state that would dominate), it's easy to win when you're holding all the cards in your hand.

 

I remember a little bit of that in Season 1, but it really stood out in Season 2. It seemed the only thing Stephens was capable of doing during a game is waiting for something to go wrong and then turn around and look for someone to blame.

It did seem like Wood was his closest confidant throughout the season, which is why that whole blowup in the last game really puzzled me (and for a game that, in reality, didn't really mean anything).
SPOILER ALERT: I found it interesting that Wood stepped down at the end, but stayed on at the school in an administrative role. His personal situation might have had something to do with it, but I wonder if he's just sticking around on campus waiting for Stephens to self-destruct, after which the school can bring him in as the replacement.