Pat Byrd has been doing this coaching thing a long time.
The Winston Academy football coach has been in public school and private school, at big programs and small. He’s seen every kind of athlete and worked with countless coaches. But there’s nothing that’s prepared him for what he’s encountered this spring.
In his third season with the Patriots, Byrd is in the same boat as the rest of the country as his team is missing out on spring practice. The Coronavirus and its spread has caused everything to shut down in the sports world.
“It’s a problem because the spring is when you do your teaching. You don’t have to worry about game planning, you just go out there and practice,” Byrd said. “As you get older, the practice becomes more fun than games. I love the two and a half hours we get outside because that’s just us.”
Along with the fact that the team can’t prepare on the practice field and in the film room, the weight room is off limits as well.
That weight room and under strength coach Sean Greer was where the team was making its most progress. Greer said last week that nearly 100% of the players had improved their max weight lifting by 40 pounds or more. With no practices allowed at this point, Byrd is trying h is best to stay in touch and instruct via technology.
“They can send me a message when they have a question about anything, and I can get back with them. If they’ve got questions about the workout, they know to ask me or Sean,” Byrd said. “I know several of them have been working from home. They’re going to find a way.”
Last season, the Patriots had another losing year at 3-8 and had won just a game more than they did in Byrd’s first season. However, the record isn’t indicative of the growth the team made.
WA made its first playoff appearance in eight years. Though they haven’t been able to get back to work during the spring, Byrd was excited about the direction that the team was headed. They remain optimistic that they’ll be back together soon and preparing for the 2020 season.
“We’re replacing some guys and we need to be outside with those guys to get better. All we can do is send out workouts to them and I’m confident that the majority of them are doing what they need to do but I’d like to get eyes on them,” Byrd said.
As for the team he’s returning?
“We’ve got all of our linemen back on both sides of the ball. We return some guys in the secondary and a couple of guys at wide out. We’ll be new at running back but have linebackers back,” Byrd said. “We’ve got a good core, but we’ve got to get better at running the football. We can’t go out there and throw it 40 times a game and be successful. Hopefully we’ll be able to get back to work soon.”
