Coach Simpson Resigns!

[fwp]

www.baltimoreblackbirdsfootball.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1

As noted on the press release on the Blackbirds homepage, Coach Chris Simpson has resigned as Head Coach for the Birds.

I'm sorry to see this, I know how much he was looking forward to an offseason to give the Blackbirds fans a chance to see what a full off year preparing for the season would do.

I know this was a very tough decision for Coach Simpson.

Best of luck to Coach Simpson and to the indoor fans in Baltimore. I'm sure great things will come to both!

[exit322]

Like great things happened in Lincoln when Simpson quit (not an attack on you Lincoln fans, Fred)?

[xmradiodave]

I am surprised... but not shocked. Having won only a single game last season, I am sure did not help the situation. Payday issues were probably another deciding factor. My fear is that these issues that are stacking up against the birds may be their undoing. There is not a louder advocate for this team than me. I have been following them since the announcement of joining the AIFA. I attended their practices and watched as the revolving door was installed on the training facility.

I truly hope this decision for Coach to call it quits is simply because he was not feeling it anymore. If the issues mentioned earlier are the deciding factor, then it sounds more of a case of the captain fleeing a sinking ship.

Regardless, thanks for a fun first season Coach. Good luck in your future endeavors.

[coachsimpson]

Dave,

I appreciate your support this past season, as well as everyone else's in Baltimore. It truly is one of the great football cities in the U.S.

The decision to step down was a difficult decision to make. Wins and losses had nothing to do with it. Nor was it about fleeing a sinking ship. But, there where several factors that weighed into my resignation.

I enjoyed my season in Baltimore and I will truly miss coaching there.

[xmradiodave]

Thanks for the input Coach. Let me know where the road takes you if you decide to coach elsewhere.

[fwp]

www.examiner.com/a-863161~Simpson_steps_down_as_Blackbirds_coach.html

Here's the Baltimore Examiner article covering the change.

[xmradiodave]

Thanks for posting that fwp. A lot of dirty laundry there. I understand Coach and the reason for bringing the issues to light. I have always been skeptical of Mr. Austin's ownership abilities. I have been to several Blackbirds practices and all but one game. Coach had a passion for this team. A record of 1-12 does not look appetizing no matter how you look at it on paper. But to be at the games and see the growth of the team over the course of the season is a testament to the coaches ability. I went to the first game of the season in Reading PA and witnessed what was possibly the most sickening display of "professional football" I had ever witnessed. When I attended the final game of the season, I was watching a completely different beast. It was like watching your child grow up. Sure, the record looks dismal, but the caliber of play showed amazing progress.

If it was not for the tutelage of Coach Simpson, I believe the first season would have *definitely been the last (*that statement is still in the air).

Players not getting payed is disheartening. They make next to nothing in this league as it is. for checks to bounce and other checks to never arrive, well frankly is inexcuseable. I understand that cdertain situations arise that eat up a teams funding but the owner needs to have a contingency paln in effect. That money should have been set aside from day one. marketing needs to improve as well. Advertisers dollars are vital. STOP IT with the partnership crap. Advertisers need to pay cold hard cash. If someone designs a banner for your team, they do not deserve to have an ad hanging up for the entire season. Dollars buy spots. Get your contracts in check. No quid pro quo here.

Medical benefits? Players who were injured on the field are not getting coverage for medical expenses? That is horrific. When a player goes down for the cause of the team, he needs to be taken care of. Cutting benifits is NOT AN OPTION. Mr. austin, step up and take care of your players. Please. If you are gonna dress like a man in your fancy suits, then I am begging you, act like the man you dress up to be. I am not slamming him. I am sure he is stressed out about how to make the ends meet. But he is a self-made wealthy man. He is supposed to have a keen business sense. It is time to start applying those skills to his football team or sell the team to someone who can handle it.

AND FOR GOD'S SAKE! Hire a CPA!

Rant over.

Good luck to you Coach Simpson and Coach Culiver. You will be missed. Your efforts are not in vain. The fans saw the difference throughout the season.

[farscape]

I have to agree Xman having also been at the reading Game and the last game against Johnstown along with a few games in between You could see gradual improvement especially as new players were added during the season.

[coachsimpson]

Thanks guys, I appreciate it.

One thing I want to make perfectly clear and go on record as stating:

John Wolfe is not responsible for the things that have taken place over that past few weeks with the Blackbirds. He has hung in there through thick and then. He has made every effort to rectify things. The bottom line is the responsibility and accountability lies squarely on the shoulders of the Blackbird ownership.

Mr. Wolfe is a good man and definitely has more patience then I do.

[xmradiodave]

I agree with coach Simpson. I will never go on record slamming John Wolfe. You will probably see Johns name being dragged through the muck and mire from some of the players who do not understand the full story. I will stand by the fact that John Wolfe has handled everything the ownership has thrown at him in a professional manner. The owner of the team is the one people need to be questioning. It seems the only thing he has accomplished thus far is getting a team in Baltimore. I thank him for that. The handling of the team issues and the finances, I have to send a hearty F-You in his general direction.

There are stress fractures all over this team right now. If something is not done soon, the whole dang thing will come tumbling down. Fix it already Mr. owner!