Maze run with Coach jasonfreeman
I think coach jasonfreeman is the coach we all wish we could be. He is able to keep his head down and just take care of business. He runs a tight ship. A ship that wins and wins and wins, both on and off the field. He takes care of business. With this in mind I figured the people would want some insight into the man himself and so we had a sit down to talk about a few things. Below are the results of that sit down, I hope you enjoy it.
Q:How did you get into GD given so many other options out there? And have you tried any of the other options out there?
A:Someone mentioned WIS to me way back in the day and I checked it out and liked it. Later on, I did try a few others but none of them kept me long.
Q:What about GD keeps you here?
A:I have enough time to spend on it and for the most part I have fun with it. I really like recruiting. And there is enough of a relationship between things you do and try and the sim engine that I feel involved. And I've made some good friends here and that keeps me coming back. This would also be a good time to give props to the volunteers in Wilky who put so much effort into the content -- you really make the game fun for the rest of us!
Q:How has the game changed since you joined?
A:I've seen a lot of changes like most of the old timers here. The game changes you change no big deal. Awags however never changes -- you want a loss put him on your schedule!
Q:What is your favorite part of this game? And obviously what is your least favorite part of the game?
A:Recruiting is my favorite. Every season is a different challenge (your needs, your recruits, your local competition, bowl/playoff money, # of scholarships, the guy you need to pay back for coming in late last season :-)
Least favorite is when higher division teams drop down late to play in your recruiting class but you deal with that or move up that's the way it works. I have also played some HD and HBD and that aspect of recruiting is even worse in those games so we should count ourselves lucky in a way.
Q:What would you like to see be improved in this game:
As far as recruiting?
A:It's too long by a few days. Other than that, I think it's working pretty well. Could use a few more recruits that want to play for my team I never seem to find them. Or at least some correlation between team success and that feature I am pretty sure it doesn't exist.
As far as game planning?
A:I would love a checkbox for 1st half/2nd half. There are a few games each season that I go into my 2 minute hurry up offense when I am winning in the 4th quarter because I forget to switch it. I'd also like a few more playbooks -- hey! you can go ahead and get rid of those defaults, WIS!
As far as the simulation?
A:It'd be nice to have a little more information about why things happened the way they did. Who missed the tackle? Why did it happen? Stuff like that. Granted I very rarely look into the expanded play-by-play so who knows maybe I wouldn't do anything with it.
As far as realism and all the other bells and whistles?
A:Sometimes I wonder if the SIM should have a little AI you know if you are going to run the same exact play every time the defense ought to adjust. But then again you can gameplan for that and still not stop it so why bother.
Q:How many teams do you have and why that many?
A:Right now, I've got two: Cal in Wilky and Richmond in Yost. I've never been a "team in every world" kind of a guy I think the most I've ever had active was 3. At this point, both of those teams are active for a similar reason ... the competition. Cal because it is in the most challenging world and Richmond because a group of guys thought it would be fun to fill up a conference and see what happens. By the way we still have a few openings if have of you want a challenge! Be prepared for a lot of losses early on though.
Q:Why have you picked the schools that you picked, through time and the one you have now? Which school would you want to coach if you could and why?
A:Richmond, I thought they had the best roster of the open A10 sims. Cal I've always wanted to coach (I'm a Cal grad) so I had my eye on them in Wilky while I was having fun in D1aa. As for over time, I rarely bounce to another team at the same level. In fact, it's quite possible I've never done that. So, when I move up I have a plan -- either it's get as many wins as soon as possible to keep moving up the ladder or it'll be where I want to call home for awhile -- then I try to figure out the best team for that. On a side note it's too bad there aren't more "new world” situations with everyone joining and trying to get from start to elite as quick as possible. I was able to do that with Yost and that was really fun.
Q:As far as were there any personal reasons to take certain teams?
A:See above Cal although otherwise I am pretty indifferent to personal connections. I did also go to school at Wisconsin so I may try them at some point in the future.
Q:When job openings start, how often do you consider moving?
A:If there are some places I'm interested in I'll take a look if they open up and if not, I'm done. I don't move a lot.
Q:There was a rumor last job change cycle that you were looking at moving to Penn State if they opened, any truth to that?
A:The truth is that I have been watching the elites the last few seasons. I passed on the last couple of openings because I really liked my team at the time. Though I guess it'd be pretty difficult to have that not be the case and still have a good chance to actually get the elite.
Q:What schools would you like to coach the most? What teams would make you leave the juggernaut you have built in Berkeley?
A:If I had to name names I'd be most interested in Miami and maybe Penn State next.
Q:Any advice you can share on how to build a great program with Stanford next door, USC to the south and schools north all converging on your area for recruits and yet you still pull in excellent talent, any pointers on how to do it?
A:Recruiting is obviously different for every school and changes over time as you build up prestige and teams change hands. So, try to figure that out quickly. In general, though I like to have a lot of information and I'm not afraid to make changes as the cycles pass and things play out.
Q:What are your hopes with your current team? Another conference title and maybe a national title run?
A:I have had a good run with Cal but my luck won't hold out forever. I try my best and let the WIS gods take care of the rest.
Q:You have 4 national title appearances but only 1 win. Were do you think you went wrong in those 3 games?
A:I made the mistake of playing three teams that had better players and good coaches!
Q:Is there ever pressure on you to be sniffing around the top 2 spots in the rankings? People always expect you to be there or there about.
A:There's no pressure. And yes, I find it funny that people expect such success from me.
Q:What would make you just drop the game all together?
A:If I wasn't having fun with the people there I wouldn't want to play anymore.
Q:What is the best advice for new coaches that they probably can’t find on the forum?
A:Find a mentor there are plenty of good veteran coaches out there that will help you if you ask. Also, unless you really know what you are doing don't battle for recruits. A little token resistance maybe so you don't become long-term prey but often even if you win a big battle you are in worse shape than if you had just virtually walked away.
I hope everyone enjoyed the results of the sit down with coach jasonfreeman. Coach let me say many thanks for taking the time to do this. The community now has a few burning questions answered and they also now know you a bit better. Thanks for dropping some gems for the people also. Can never have enough gems. Until the next time, take it easy.
