Daylon McCutcheon talked with our Steve Ramirez about the state of Bishop Amat football, and why he’s back after retiring from the Cleveland Browns.
“I’m excited to help these guys out,” McCutcheon said. “I’m just tired of hearing about the good ol’ days, the good ol’ days. I feel I was part of the best teams (in Amat’s history). I want these kids to experience what I experienced when I played here.”
Bishop Amat, which went 39-2 with one CIF-Southern Section title in McCutcheon’s three seasons as a starter, has failed to qualify for the postseason the past two seasons.
“I stayed pretty connected to the school,” said McCutcheon, who is coaching the defensive line and secondary. “I came out in the spring and talked to (Amat coach Mark Verti) and the team, and hung out and kind of watched from afar. I decided I was going to retire in early July, and they heard I was (leaning that way), so they asked me to help out. I was excited about it.
“I always wanted to stay around the game. I always felt I would like to coach at the high school level, but the main thing is that I just have so much pride (about) the tradition here. It’s one of the things that got me (to go to high school) here. When I came here, the talk was about Eric Bienemy, about Scott Fields. … I wanted to be part of something special. I think with these kids, it’s the same way.
“Everyone says we’re going through a down time, that we’re not the same Amat, we’re not winning. I want to help these kids get back to becoming one of the dominant teams in CIF, in Division I and especially in the Valley.”
On being a coach …
“I feel very comfortable (teaching) and I feel I can relate to the kids and (teach) what I’ve learned to them and tell them how to execute it on the football field. It’s a learning process for me, too. This is my first year coaching, so there are things I have to learn also, but I feel I’m able to get my point across and they are getting better.
“But it’s hard. It’s so close to the beginning of the season, I don’t want to come in and change everything. But I do have a lot of wisdom when it comes to football and I think I can help them out.”
McCutcheon on players’ reaction to him.
“A lot of these kids look at guys, whether it be a singer or an athlete, as distan. “I want them to say, `Hey, I can get this done. This is someone from my school, my community who was able to succeed and came from the same place I’m from.’ ”