This is good stuff. Now that I am way into my 70s and my dad is about 6 years passed I remember some of the things I thought at the time didn't make sense when I was so young, but the clarity became apparent as we aged. We even got chances to talk and laugh about it. 'I did what?" I'd say he'd say " Yeah, I always wondered what the heck you were thinking". :) take care.
This is a longer comment than I typically leave, but Coach Taylor is one of my all-time favorites, and I’m currently watching Friday Night Lights for the third time.
I respect him as a father figure to so many of the players he coached, and maybe even more as Julie’s father, since she gave him some of his toughest challenges.
He had his flaws and made mistakes, but he was willing to take ownership of them and do the hard work of repair. In season one, he kicked a quarterback off the team for defying him and for his attitude. At home, Julie often defied him with that same kind of attitude, but he couldn’t kick his own daughter off the team. He had to figure out how to stay connected and keep the relationship intact even when he strongly disagreed with her.
I also think he evolved in his understanding that different players needed different forms of support and learned to adapt his methods. Having a partner he trusted and respected as much as Tami was essential to that growth. She often helped him realize that protecting the relationship mattered more than winning the argument.
I don’t mind the longer comment at all, this is why I love Substack. I hadn’t even connected the quarterback storyline with Julie, but you’re exactly right. He could coach a player off the team. He couldn’t coach his daughter out of his life. That’s what forced him to grow. And I completely agree about Tami. She had a remarkable way of helping Eric shift from “coach mode” back to “dad mode” without undermining him. Thanks for adding another layer to the article.
I think Coach Taylor especially early on could have benefited from your hat tip! Also, on the quarterback I think the later season Coach Taylor would have handled the Voodoo situation a lot better and would have realized he needed to build a relationship with him first, like he eventually did with Vince.
This is good stuff. Now that I am way into my 70s and my dad is about 6 years passed I remember some of the things I thought at the time didn't make sense when I was so young, but the clarity became apparent as we aged. We even got chances to talk and laugh about it. 'I did what?" I'd say he'd say " Yeah, I always wondered what the heck you were thinking". :) take care.
This is a longer comment than I typically leave, but Coach Taylor is one of my all-time favorites, and I’m currently watching Friday Night Lights for the third time.
I respect him as a father figure to so many of the players he coached, and maybe even more as Julie’s father, since she gave him some of his toughest challenges.
He had his flaws and made mistakes, but he was willing to take ownership of them and do the hard work of repair. In season one, he kicked a quarterback off the team for defying him and for his attitude. At home, Julie often defied him with that same kind of attitude, but he couldn’t kick his own daughter off the team. He had to figure out how to stay connected and keep the relationship intact even when he strongly disagreed with her.
I also think he evolved in his understanding that different players needed different forms of support and learned to adapt his methods. Having a partner he trusted and respected as much as Tami was essential to that growth. She often helped him realize that protecting the relationship mattered more than winning the argument.
I don’t mind the longer comment at all, this is why I love Substack. I hadn’t even connected the quarterback storyline with Julie, but you’re exactly right. He could coach a player off the team. He couldn’t coach his daughter out of his life. That’s what forced him to grow. And I completely agree about Tami. She had a remarkable way of helping Eric shift from “coach mode” back to “dad mode” without undermining him. Thanks for adding another layer to the article.
I think Coach Taylor especially early on could have benefited from your hat tip! Also, on the quarterback I think the later season Coach Taylor would have handled the Voodoo situation a lot better and would have realized he needed to build a relationship with him first, like he eventually did with Vince.