i dont think anyone is blaming the players. i would expect that even the third stringers would play their hardest under any circumstance. the only variable would be the plays that are being called. once you get to the scrubs in a lopsided game like this, i would expect the coach to dumb down the playbook and run the ball between the tackles and try to limit the damage. if the losing team flat out cant tackle even on the most basic running plays, im not sure what else can be done. there is no way the team with the lead should tell a player not to try their hardest, but in my opinion the coach has a responsibility from a play-calling point of view to do all that can be done to relieve the pressure.
the games i have been to the last several years watching our struggling team (and we have a lot of 1-sided losses) , most of the rage i hear in the stands is towards the coaches not having our kids prepared more than the other team pouring it on or our players not trying. as a matter of fact, this season they actually moved our home team bench to the opposite side of the field away from the home team fans! i have never heard of such a thing, that tells me it is time to get some new coaches.
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