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Skinny
08-29-2007, 04:27 PM
By FRANK SCHWAB, THE GAZETTE
August 29, 2007

Bates favors a passionate, interactive style when teaching defensive players his scheme.

ENGLEWOOD - Jim Bates comes off as a nice, quiet and polite man, possibly a product of his Midwest upbringing.

Bates’ players see a different side. He bounces around the practice field. One of his favorite moves is finding a player who has done well to give him a high-five. He’s just as quick to seek out a player who was in the wrong position, and explain the mistake immediately.

In meetings, Bates is demanding. He often has players recite what they have just been taught, not allowing them to space out as he talks.

He isn’t a drill sergeant, but the point gets across.

“Coaches come with all different personalities, that’s what makes it so unique,” Bates said. “I’ve always coached with high energy. That’s just the way I feel about it. If I couldn’t coach at high energy, I wouldn’t coach anymore.”

Bates’ passion for coaching originated in the Midwest. Growing up in Michigan, he didn’t have Pop Warner or other youth football leagues. His first taste of organized football was in high school, and he took to coaching right away.

“The first day I stepped onto the practice field as a freshman, I knew I was going to coach,” said Bates, 61.

He said his high school coach, Walt Braun, was one of the biggest reasons he was drawn to coaching.

“He was a tremendous, tremendous teacher, coached with a passion, and that’s when it all started,” Bates said.

Bates takes pride in his ability to teach. Broncos players were impressed at Bates’ hands-on approach to getting players to understand his defensive scheme.

“You can see why Jim Bates has been successful wherever he’s been because he’s a great teacher, he believes in fundamentals,” safety John Lynch said.

Bates surprised the players a bit in his initial meetings with them. Instead of him telling the players what they had to do, the players had to be ready to tell Bates what they had learned about the defense.

“I like the fact that he put the onus on the individual players because he asks questions,” safety Nick Ferguson said. “Most times you’re in meetings, the coaches coach and you take notes. But he asks questions. ‘Explain to me exactly what type of running formation is this? What are the run gaps?’”

Bates has been a defensive coordinator in Miami and Green Bay, and his defenses always have finished in the NFL’s top 10 in fewest yards allowed. He said he enjoys educating the players, then watching them apply what they’ve learned.

“There’s no better feeling than when you go out and your players have performed at a high level and the game plan has been effective,” Bates said. “That’s very, very rewarding.”

THE BATES FILE

Born: May 31, 1946, in Pontiac, Mich.

College: Bachelor’s degree in education, Tennessee, 1968

Family: Married to Beverly; two sons: Jeremy and James. Jeremy Bates will work with wide receivers and quarterbacks

NFL experience: 16 years as NFL coach, 38 years overall. Seven years as NFL defensive coordinator (Packers, Dolphins, Falcons) and Dolphins interim head coach in 2004.

Other experience:

Coached at Tennessee, Florida (coordinator), Texas Tech, Southern Mississippi, Villanova, Kansas State and West Virginia; is one of 13 to be a coach in both NFL and USFL (San Antonio in 1985 and other assistant jobs); coached at Sevier County High School in Tennessee; played linebacker at Tennessee.

http://www2.gazette.com/broncos/display.php?id=1331530

TXBRONC
08-29-2007, 04:31 PM
Good Skinny thanks man. This one of the reason I think we will be better than an 8-8 team this year.