Addressing the Problems.

Written by Anthony Taormina on Sunday October 4th at 4:30 PM

Complacency leads to Entitlement

The Lake Orion Dragons stand 2-4.

For the first time since 1996, the fact that Lake Orion won’t make the playoffs again is reality.

A lot of things can be said about why this group stands 2-4.

Very undisciplined, a lot of self-hurting penalties. They can come back to bite and they have.

TACKLING, that starts with Youth Football up to the Varsity level.

Defensive identity. Where is the physical, relentless, Orion Tough Defense, Lake Orion is supposed to have? It has not been there in a while.

Where is the blue collar hard working effort at?

Where is defending home field? From 2002-2013, not including playoffs, LO only lost five home games during that stretch. Last year and this year, the Dragons have lost four non-playoff home games.

Did Lake Orion Football forget their identity? If so, who is to blame?

Players, coaches, staff, parents, students, band, cheerleaders, leadership, alumni?

Actually the culture is,

Last season, Lake Orion missed the playoffs for the first time since 2000, also they had their first losing season since 1996. In last year’s team defense, three of the five losses could have went either way with the Dragons losing by a combined 14 points to those respective opponents. This year, there was a lot more expectation with this group, looking to bounce back this year but this group had two lackluster performances especially weeks two against Troy Athens and week six against Stoney Creek. You do have to give the opponents credit but this is more about Lake Orion than anything.

Complacency leads to Entitlement

This is a very common mindset. It happens with every team, every program. When a team has been successful for so long, there is a likelihood that a program will get complacent and spoiled. No doubt from 2001-2014, Lake Orion was one of the most successful programs in the state, winning one state championship (2010), another championship appearance (2008), three final four appearances (1998, 2010, 2012), district championships, and regional championships, there was a string of success.

Along those lines, it is very common to have the mindset of expecting wins instead of earning them, not to mention underestimating opponents because past programs have beaten them multiple times. It does happen. It happens with every team, not just Lake Orion.

Can this be fixed?

Yes,

These are good learning experiences. Good lessons to learn so it doesn’t happen again. Does it require changes?

Sure, it’s easier said than done but it’s doable.

It starts at the youth football level, to teach kids how to be humble, to go out there, play hard, physical, relentless football, and earn everything. Nothing is given, everything has to be earned, not just in sports but in life. With the concussion issues, I can understand parents’ concerns but injuries do happen, it is a part of the game. The journey continues into middle school and then through high school. By the time a player get into high school, a player should know what to expect.

As a coach, you can only do so much with the talent you have. All you can do is teach a player everything you know. You can’t control what a player does or how he or she performs. Can a coach changes how he or she coaches, sure, depends on the player and the situation but for the most part, coaches believe that their stuff works.

There needs to be a hunger again. A hunger to be the best again, the best in the OAA, to win a division championship, a district championship, a regional championship, and a state championship. In the older days, it was always to be better than everyone. It wasn’t that long ago, the league viewed us as one of the elites alongside Clarkston, Adams, and Harrison. We are no longer there. In order to bring the program back, you have to beat Clarkston, you have to beat West Bloomfield, you have to beat Oxford, Southfield, Farmington, Adams, Stoney Creek, Troy Athens, Chippewa Valley, etc. You have to beat all of those teams on a consistent basis. You do that, the program is back to where it once was.