Please answer the following

Who picked the kids on the team?

Why is Buford hosting?

Why is Ken Burge Head Coach when the Dacula staff won 85+ games?

Did the GFL 8th Grade coaches select the coaches or players?

Did all kids get a fair shot to make the team?

Who are the other asst coaches on the staff?

Why is FBU running the GFL also?

The team is suppose to be the best of Georgia.  Did we accomplish this with the kids selected?

This shhhitttt must not be tolerated.  This should not be tolerated.

Hollaman I was wondering  the samething for the 7th Grade Team!  Our Duluth Wildcats finished with a record of (-2 lost in the semifinal game 12-6 to Dacula!  Take in mind OUR 2 BEST BACK GOT HURT IN THE FIRST QUARTER!  But we still we only lost 12-6! and you mean to tell me that we have no kids on the team!  Not just from our team a few teams around GA!  Give me a break are we going by the buddy buddy system or are we truly trying to win football games as a state!  The polotics needs to be corrected in Gwinett County and the GFL or it's all gonna get exposed!

ICU,

I had a son on the 7th grade team.  I know for a fact if an association was not represented on the

7th grade team, the association did not turn in nominations.  Your issue is with your own association.

Same with Lawrenceville, Shiloh.

Here's ther truth folks:

1. Selection to these allstar games especially at this age is a joke. They don't choose the best kids they

choose their buddies first. The best kids don't always have the best most well liked parents representing them

2. The GFL and Erik is a joke. He is a very little man both literally and figuratively.

3. Erik makes money off of FBU and so do others. They have a financial incentive to exploit kids, especially

kids whose parents can afford to pay for all the over priced camps etc.

4. IT REALLY DOESN'T MATTER. TRUST ME. FOOTBALL IS ONE SPORT WHERE BEING THE BEST AT 12 IS HARDLY

WORTH MENTIONING. IT WILL EVEN OUT IN THE LONG RUN. FOR YOU DADS WHOSE SON SON GOT SCREWED IN SL;ECTIONS, DON'T FRET. THE LITTLE MAN WONT BE CHOSSING IN HIGH SCHOOL!

Tbone you are truly right what happened to kids earning there way. I looked at some of these guys who were selected to the FBU across america and the talent pool is a total joke.  It's funny how money cfan get kids reality TV exposure.  But when they get to High School true talent will present itself.  And I must agree FBU and a few other Camps are money makers at the youth level.  Once the get you in the system they get the kids and parents over hyped and only real parents with talent understands the real from the fake.  And as far as you who had a child on the team should know that you guys didn't have the best 12 year old kids in the state nor the GFL.  The team is full of players from GFL 7th grade teams where majority of the players on the squad barely made it to the playoff and some didn't even make it.  Others were FBU kids hyped up to spend more money.  Lets be real guys this is ridiculous.  And the Duluth coach did submit names of players.  But he was asked to mail not email but mail the names in to the coaches.  Ok so how many all-star teams that really want to win reallygo by the mail in system!  ARE U SERIOUS!  There is tons of 7th Grade film all over youthsportsrewind.com for the head coaches whom ever they were to choose from.  Also majority of the coaches should know by playing who the studs are!  So lets not sugar coat this guys.  These kids are 12 years old and at this age all the players need to earn what they get and parent should not be able to open there wallet and pay for exposure bottom line.  And as a parent you should want your child (if he was a stud player) to play with all the other studs at his age group and compete  against each other to earn the starting spot on any all-star team at every position.  I know I would as a parent only want my child to play with children on his level or better.  Because in the end it only makes your child better.   ALL U WallET POPPERS IT'S CALLED COMPETITION!!!!

Pigskin you need to repond to my SUBJECT!

ICU,

it is hard to respond to your SUBJECT.  I can't tell what it is.  Is it your dislike of the GFL???  Is it your dislike of FBU???

Is it your dislike that no kids from Duluth were on the team??? 

Pigskin It's no HATRED toward noone it's the process i'm concerned with!  At this age or any in any ALL_STAR evnt the players should determine their own fate from their play not by their parents wallet or power.  So my goal in all this is lets rewrd the deserving kids, the ones that are truly talented to do these games and represent our state in these nationwide events!

AND STOP ALL THIS POLITICS!!!!

Is this joker really in here crying about youth football?   Kill yourself.

I stumbled across this blog looking for the FBU 7 grade all star game.

Let me say this in all sincerity- Ignorance is bliss. I have two points to make;

1.     Duluth- It's this type of one sided hypocrisy  that gets nobody anywhere   

2.     The obvious –poor leadership (coaching) 

Clearly this is more than hypocrisy ; it is sheer nonsense. It’s ironic that you guys feel slighted about the selection process when during the off season you guys go out and put together an All –Star team to play in the GFL.  Everyone knew about it because you couldn’t keep to yourselves yet the director looked the other way.  You had boys from several parks and even and even heard that a kid that lives in Athens.  Before the season started your coach boldly predicted that he would win the GFL 12yr old crown.  For all intents and purposes this was an all star team that couldn’t win its own league.  So, why not give other equally deserving boys an opportunity to compete on an all star team. 

The big picture-  It not always about if you win or lose but HOW you win and lose.  In the spirit of keeping it real, no one wants to deal with the baggage that comes with talent of a 12 yr old. Mainly the parent that didn’t make it but is living every play though there son and don’t mind telling you how good he is.  Who needs it! This entire season, we watched you guys challenge officials and opposing coaches, run up and down the sideline, run up the score and not play the less talented boys on the team all in the name of youth football.  Every win was about your superior talent and coaching; every loss was about bad refs, the plays you missed and injuries. If I were a parent of one of those exeptally talented boys.  So, parents look at your leadership as to why these 12yr old super stars weren’t contacted.  I have no doubt that you guys simply want the best for your sons and you are good guys but the brand (image) was bad.   

2^nd point-

How can you guys slam ER and FBU but can’t bring yourselves to acknowledge the obvious- POOR COACHING arguably the best assembly of talent put together in some time.  I’m sure the coach convinced you that the boys hadn’t been coached and he was the guy that could win a championship with you boys.  The reality is he didn’t and it falls squarely at his feet.  I know half a dozen coaches in this league if given that talent would have won going away, the right way.  But instead, leadership let the boys down, the boys didn’t let the coach down.  This may have been the worst coaching job in recent memory.  You don’t believe me it’s all there for you to see on youthsportsrewind.  There are many examples but the most egregious was the playoff game vs. Dacula. #5  goes down doing what he does (great athlete and football player- freak accident). What does the coach do- leaves #12 at tight end for two qtrs before moving him to tailback.  You get what you get when you are so arrogant not to have a plan B if one or two of your studs go down.  Even with those two boys out, he have enough to win.  But instead you want to call out the GFL about some end of the year game when you had an all-star team the entire season and didn’t get it done.  Where is the outrage?  Three or four parks would have benefited if those boys played where they lived.

This is a great example of why we should not stack teams.  More often than not , the guy stacking the team is often attempting  to cover poor coaching. 

For one Mr. Outside Looking In.  Im just a fan of football period and love youth football,  No one called out The GFL at all period bottom line about the All-Star team.  Also Duluth had 5 players come over with Grim from Paqrkview and the rest of the kids were on the same Dulth squad last year a team I think only won 1 or 2 games.  So an all star team at Duluth is a flat out lie.  Look at Peachtree Ridge who has a great program but some how all the great players that was on Parkers Championship team some how end up on Jones Championship team.  So dont come at me about this all star team bull crap.  Not one time did any of the coaches or Director ever complain or protest any lost game during the season at all and thats the type of politics and hatred I'm talking about within a certain group of people in the GFL.   I had a friend who son played on the Duluth team so I was alwys around the team and at no point during the season did Duluth run the score up on any team.  There was plenty of games where Duluth was taking a knee on the goal line just not to score.  And the only reason that if any that some kids didn't get plays was because Duluth was probably the only team in the GFL that haDTO SHUFFLE through 31 kids every game to play while other by desighn had only 20 to 25 all decnt players.  That's how u ppl talk within your group i'm talking about)  To me it's obviuos that all the programs with majority BLACK leadership get treated different than other Organizations bottom line and it shouldn't be like that period.  So even if the decision was based on the leadership why some kids from Duluth, Shiloh, Lawrencceville Etc,, you still are penalizing the kids. 

This league is built off diversity and should be trated like that accordinally.  But it's not and that's sad.  For people like you to go around the league and bad mouth an orginization like you do shows alot about your character.  and Im talking about comments like this is a LIE   " Who needs it! This entire season, we watched you guys challenge officials and opposing coaches, run up and down the sideline, run up the score and not play the less talented boys on the team all in the name of youth football. "  If I know right it's a coaches job to ask refs thing throughout the games course.  and trust me you can find tape on plenty teams in all age groups and u will see alot worse things than what you and ur GROUP call yourself seeing!!  ANd speaking on the injuries in the semifinals I was their #5 yea was a freak injurery but #28 u see #10 from Dacula Twisting his ankle on puposre plus it on tape showing him do it the whole year.  But it's ok ffor Dacula Buford Mill Creek The Ridge, ETC.. to coach and play dirty right.  Your a joke who ever u  and I have friends on all the orginizations and I hope u don't speak for any one of them.  If you was to have come to and practice or game you would see after 5 minutes most of those kids don't have a negative bone in their body!!!!

Tell me how Peach Tree Ridge keeps winning without getting caught. They are the worst cheaters. This year alone they had two head coaches were suspended, one coach banned for life, and an 8th grade team disqualified. I can't believe what I heard at the GFL meetings. Had that happened in Shiloh their park would have been banned or suspended. It's not just a matter of black and white, it's about rich and poor too. The rich parks get richer and the poor parks get poorer. If kids want exposure they have to go to parks like peachtree ridge to get it. Thats how the little hill gets all their kids. ICU is right about Parker too. How does two teams only lose one game and the other team does not win a single game. In fact, their 0-8 team may be the worst 12 year old team ever fielded at the 12 year old level. I'll tell you how, they let Clark and Jones dump all the players nobody wanted on a single team and then they skimmed the top. The same thing happens at Dacula and other parks over the years. We should be mad at each other, we should blame the idiots in charge of this league. You don't think that the little dude in charge doesn't love watching us fight this out.

I've had the pleasure of viewing the creative posts by several of the Duluth haters throughout our entire season. Typically
I overlook 99% of this nonsense because I hold myself, my players, my parents, and my coaching staff to a higher standard, and I try to lead by example.  You can say what you like about me, and about my coaching staff. At the end of the day we had a good season. We competed. ALL of our players got their plays EVERY game, and EVERY kid in my program got better and increased their skillset. More importantly 29 of the kids on my team (That were ALL DULUTH kids from the previous season) got to feel what it's like to have some success in a sport that they love and have been beaten at every since they began to play the game. You have no idea what milestones that this TEAM has made this season, or the dedication and effort from my players that it took for them to have the success that they had, and I refuse to sit here and let YOU OR ANYONE IN GWINNETT COUNTY EVEN ATTEMPT TO TAKE IT AWAY FROM THEM!

You want to come after me or my coaching staff? I invite you to. We're men, and we wear thick skin, and can handle the
negativity, and all the haters. But I will caution you to speak what you know and keep my players and their season out of
your mouth. They are kids and they deserve any and every good thing that can possibly happen to them. Several of them
deserved to be ALL-STARS regardless of anyone says. Unfortunately they were all casualties in an aggressive game of politics and favoritism, but it's ok. Perhaps in the future there will be a more 'appropriate' way of selecting the ALL-STAR team like allowing each association to submit six names (2 Offense - 2 Defense - 2 Linemen), but only 3 spots are guaranteed, that way it gives the coordinators of the ALL-STAR game some room to sure up the roster, make it competitive, but make sure that EVERY association in the GFL is represented in the ALL-STAR game, and not just the associations that have been placed on the GFL pedestal.

My players names were submitted. They were submitted on time. (I have the emails to prove it). At the end of the day,
what's done is done, and no one can turn back time to fix it. We're not going to cry over spilt milk. We're going to do
what we always do, and take it with a grain of salt, take the high road, and use it for motivation for next year. We had
ALL-STARS this year and we'll have even more next year.

For the record because a few parents who respect and value me as a Coach from a previous association that I coached at
successfully for 2 seasons, decided to register their boys to play for Duluth and not any of the other associations in the
GFL is wrong because of what? This league is full of hipocrates who petition players, stack their teams, and because they're
one of the "liked" associations everything is fine. However you let less than a handful of players play for an association
that's not highly favored, and an uproar begins?!

Build a bridge and get over it. We've done nothing wrong here at Duluth with our program. We're building it, the SAME WAY
that SO MANY of YOU have built yours. We follow the same rules you follow, and we LEARN from YOUR blueprint. I guarantee that if certain players on my team decided to play for one of the 'favored' associations within the GFL you wouldn't hear a peep. More of the double standard.

The funny thing is...is that as long as Duluth was an 'easy' win, and sort of a 'gimme' game it was ok. But because the
29 boys who were with the Duluth program previously have been coached up, and a few players added, and they're no longer the door mat that everyone remembers them to be, all of a sudden there's all this chitter-chatter. Case in point.
Stop all the talk. Continue to develop your players, and build your associations, and good luck to you in 2012.

Yes we got put out early this year. However we did make it to the Semi-Finals and were only 1 of 4 teams still playing at
that time of year. We went 9-2 overall. You talk about the team we have and not winning it all...Andy Reid is a good coach
and has a great coaching resume, and now has the best assembly of talent that he's had in his career, but he's now
having the worst success he's ever experienced in his career. There have been other assemblies of good talent, but it took
a coach to get them to win. Your suggestion that my team is not well coached is a joke, and I challenge any coach in the
gfl to a game of x's and o's. You have no idea of my coaching resume, leagues I've coached in, or championships I've won as a coach. Fact is, you don't need to know. It's irrelevant. My kids are well coached and they've beaten enough "quality" teams this year to prove it. I, nor my staff needs anyone within the GFL to give us your golden "seal of approval". we have already proven that we can compete and beat the best that the GFL has to offer. 

Also, in the playoff loss to Dacula I played #12 immediately after I lost #28 and #5. We scored first on Dacula and #12 was the one that scored the touchdown genuis. We scored in the second quarter. So take a look at the film again. #12 also scored again with :56 seconds left in the game to tie it up, but was called back because of a convenient hold that doesn't show up on film. But when you leave the game in the hands of the officials, and you're not highly favored in the GFL those are the types of things that happen. Not a problem. We lost. They won. We congratulated them, and wished them luck in the Championship.

You say that other Coaches in the GFL if they had my players would have won it all. Maybe, maybe not. I guess we'll never
know. That's one persons opinion. Funny thing is...as talented as my players are...and as many places that they "could" go and play...they wanted to play for Duluth. I think that's what everyone's issue is, and it's sad. You see at Duluth
it doesn't matter who your Mother are Father is. It doesn't matter what income bracket you're in. It doesn't matter how
much you "give" to the program. It doesn't matter if you're with the "in" crowd, or rubbing elbows with the right people.
We don't have the "country club" mystique going on here. We don't worry about the "brand" here. Or others opinions of us.
We love our kids and we love our association, and we're going to continue to build it regardless of all the haters. Period.

P.S. Yes I run up and down the sideline when my players break a long run. I'm a passionate coach and I help inspire my
players, and they inspire me. I don't do it for your approval or anyone else's. If you don't like it. Don't look. Yes I
ask for clarity from the officials during a game, as does any coach that is worth a grain of salt. Officials are human,
and they're capable of getting a call or two wrong. (I've had one or two tell me after a play that they missed something,
and they called it later in the game. As far as me not playing my less talented boys, I played ALL of them, but you
genuises haven't figured that out yet. Lastly, if me having confidence in my players and believing in them is being
arrogant, then guilty as charged. With every win all the credit went to the players, and we the TWO losses that we had I,
the Head Coach, took full responsibility, and NEVER blamed my players. So again, speak what you know. It would help you
build your Duluth "hater" case. We will be more than happy to file it with the rest. As far as me boldly predicting that
we would win the GFL championship...again I apologize...I forgot...I was supposed to tell my team...yes we'll play well
enough to go 4-4 and build on making the playoffs next year. NOT! I'm supposed to, as a Head Coach inspire my team and make them feel as if they're good enough to compete with, and beat ANY team that they face.

In regards to our Football Director and President, he's given everything that he possibly can to the Association and
those who participate in it, and support it. Duluth's program is not as afluent as many others, and yes we all have some
growing to do as an organization, but it's not going to happen overnight. However it will happen in time with dedication,
hard work, drive and initiative. Don't look down on us, or attempt to judge us because you are a fortunate member of them who "have". Progress has to start somewhere, and progress has begun in Duluth.

One thing I'd LOVE for all you MEN on these posts to do is to STATE YOUR REAL NAME AND YOUR ASSOCIATIONS WHEN YOU POST. I see so many of you with SO MUCH to say, but can't be MAN ENOUGH to state who you are. You see my screen name isn't "COACHG" or "WILDCAT2011"...it's COACHGRIM so you have no doubt who this is, and if you'd like to discuss this more offline I'd be more than happy to give you my DIRECT number. I'd be more than happy to add some clarity to those you have a distorted view of Duluth Football, myself, or my Coaching Staff. If you can't be MAN enough to post who you are then perhaps you shouldn't post, or stop hiding behind screen names. Just food for thought.

Conversation, and this post are over. NO ONE who supports Duluth respond to any of this garbage. I've said all that needs
to be said.

COACH GRIM

COACH GRIM,

I JUST WANT TO SAY I SUPPPORT WHAT YOU HAVE SAID. I DON'T HAVE A SON AT THIS AGE BUT I SAW YOU GUYS PLAY. YOU WERE VERY WELL COACHED. WHAT THE GFL DOES TO PARKS LIKE DULUTH IS FALT OUT WRONG!!!!

Because Erik Richards and Kent Burge are the two most corrupt guys in the GFL!!

my point exactly Hollaman about BUFORD COACHING THIS TEAM... MY TEAM AND STAFF HAS PROVED FOR YEARS WE ARE THE BEST IN THE STATE.... 

Well put Grim. This was my first year coaching in the GFL and it was a culture shock. I got used to coaching up high school kids who's parents have no say so in what goes on. 

To "Outside Looking In" like Grim said, we'll be at Duluth next year, come see us and speak your mind. I don't know who you are but I hope you arent one of those parents who would rather see their son dominate an 0-8 team and look good for your home videos than to see them grow as a "team player" who contributes to an exciting playoff year. 

Any youth athlete needs parents who buy into their association and their coaches. And to the six or seven families who  cheered and cried with us all the way I appreciate your support and look foward to next year. 

Lastly, no one really thinks about what these boys feel. I've seen parents ruin the experience for their kid. Your distrust of the coaches make it hard for your son to enjoy the game. Several of my players on defense lost the will to play because of their parents fighting every move of Grim and his assistants including me. This led to a decline in their performance in practice thus leading to fewer snaps in game. 

On the contrary, players whose parents supported us thrved later in the season and became great palyers. Several of my D-lineman who have never played football in their life took over starting jobs and have become all stars. Simply because of their will to practice and be COACHABLE! (excuse my font) This starts at home with the parents supporting their entire team and giving them the will to want to have fun and get better. 

Lastly (really), at the end of our loss to Dacula, one of our O-Lineman stood up and told all the parents and players that "this has been the best year I have ever [been a part of]" As a coach that meant alot and it shows the impact other than football us as coaches have on players, any age any sport. 

Thats the end of my rant 

That is why I invite you all out to a REAL all-star game, the Future Stars Game.  It is a game where players EARN a spot on the team and the fees are not so high that the truly best players can not afford to play.  Players compete against each other and various tryouts all for the right to represent their state in the Future Stars game.  They are graded by coaches that dont know them, and dont even have their names on grade forms.  Simply their number and initials.

Many GFL kids tried out for team in 2011 and a lot of them made it.  Not because who their dad was, not because they begged or paid to be on the team, but because they were one of the best at tryouts.

Our Gwinnett tryout is March 24th at Shiloh High School.  You can view details on the website at www.futurestarsgame.com.  And I promise you this is real talent, where the best of the best are invited out.  Not just those in an inner circle.  We had kids that were FBU All-Americans try out, and could not even make the team because this is not one you just buy your way on.

I don't know why everybody knocks FBU, for everyones information the Eastbay All American all is free.  They give the kids cleats, uniform, gloves, socks, tshirt, shorts, sweat suits, and wrist bands all for free. Their is on fee for the game at all.  May the best man be invited, compete and play on a national stage.