Dear coach: Before you dismiss all of us fans and parents as clueless jerks, take a minute to think about who you’re ignoring.

Some of us are former coaches who left for perfectly good reasons -- health, economics, taking over family businesses, whatever. We still love the game and we still watch it with a level of detail that the average fan can’t. It’s possible we’ve observed many of your practices, too.

Before you assume that our criticisms are stupid and moronic, take a minute to read or listen to them. See if they make sense. If you’re honest with yourself and you really care about your team, you’ll acknowledge that, sometimes, what we’re saying is accurate and useful. If it’s not, just explain your position and move on. We’ll either understand it and learn from it, or we’ll keep ranting and raving like an idiot. Either way, you win.

Some of us aren’t coaches but we ARE parents. Our lives and hopes and dreams are tied up in those young men out there. When we see them fail week after week, we’re going to demand improvement from you the same way you demand improvement from them.

We see the pain in their eyes when they’re dropped from the starting team with no explanation of why or of what they need to do to get back on it.

We see the fatigue in their eyes when we peel them out of bed at 7:00 Saturday morning after a Friday night game, to come watch films and be screamed at without being taught.

You’re being paid. They’re doing this for love of the game.  If you’re going to hold them accountable, don’t get angry just because we do the same to you. (And speaking of getting angry, where do you get off thinking you can scream my kid up one end of the field and down the other for missing a block, but I can’t yell at you for three lopsided losses in a row?)

Finally, some of us aren’t former coaches or parents. We’re just long-time community residents and fans. We’ve seen good years and bad years. We’ve seen good games and bad games. We won’t hold it against you when you have an occasional one of either.

We don’t expect perfection. We do expect our football program to bring dignity to our school and community.

We want our team to be respected by opponents, not laughed at because we’re a perennial doormat.  If we stink up the place year after year, you get to move and take another job. We’re left to stay here and deal with whatever mess you left behind.

So, please, don’t demand loyalty and support if you haven’t earned it. We’re not a bunch of blind followers who fall in love with any person wearing our school colors. You’re the outsider. Come to our booster club events. Answer our questions. Offer us your insights. Sell yourself to us. Don’t hide behind your clipboard and then expect us all to treat you like family when your losses start to pile up.

We want to support you. But we want to do it for the right reasons. Give them to us. Please.