Coach Taylor quotes from Friday Night Lights

Tami

Can I help you make the decision?

Sure, go ahead. Make the decision. What's your decision? Make the call.

Tami

Start Saracen.

Start Saracen? I cannot start Matt Saracen.

Tami

Start Voodoo.

I don't want to start Voodoo.

Tami

Start me.

[laughs] I would love to start you.

I'm not here to make friends. This ain't my home. This ain't my school. It never will be.

Yeah?

I don't like the food here, the music, the weather. I can definitely do without everybody going on and on about the great state of Texas. I'm here to get noticed, get recruited and get my ass to LSU. And you? You just trying to scrape by. Trying to win some games, keep your job. You and me are an arranged marriage. Nothing more. Now you seen what I can do. You wanna start Saracen you go right ahead.

You know what I heard once? I heard that a daughter is supposed to be a comfort and a blessing to her father.

Julie

Texas isn't even a state. Technically it's a Republic. It'd be nice to live somewhere that's actually a part of this planet.

All right, listen up. I'm supposed to give you some fatherly and wise advice at this time in your life. Listen up, if you're wondering if a boy's thinking about you, he's not. He's thinking about sex or he's hungry, those are the only two options.

Julie

Are you trying to be funny?

No, I'm not finished, listen to me. Boys think about sex every single minute of the day. That's what they do, that's why they lie. They're gonna leave you waiting around for them to call and they won't call. They're gonna be cruel and they're gonna be misleading, and your mother wanted me to add this, that by in large football players are the worst offenders, however, I think that it pretty much crosses all lines.

Julie

Are you done?

You are beautiful, you are sensitive, you are sweet and I don't want to see you get hurt.

Julie

I love you too, dad.

You're a lousy ping-pong player, though.

Tami

It's becoming a thing. I mean, it's a thing. And you know what thing it is, it's that thing that we always knew was going to happen to our little girl. It's that thing--that thing's happening now.

Well, at least she's not interested in a serial killer, or one of the Riggins.

Tami

[about Lila] It was medieval; you know it was like the Scarlet Letter or something watching that girl walk across the cafeteria and everybody just glared at her.

That's High School; at least they didn't burn her at the goal post.

[seeing Landry reading to Tim while he's lifting] What the hell is Riggins doing?

[Annoyed] Studying.

What you need?

Smash

Look, I'm sorry for what I did. Am I off the team? Look, I know I'm not playing on Friday but am I off the team? Don't I deserve to know?

I should've reported this as soon as it happened. I'm risking my job. Inside this house, I've got a wife and a daughter. They depend on me to provide for them. Do you understand that?

Smash

Yes, sir.

I don't know what I'm gonna do. When I do know I'll let you know. Until then why don't you do me a favor and just try and keep your mouth shut?

Smash

Yes, sir. You got it.

Good night.

Smash

Good night.

Hey, Buddy

Buddy

Hey, Eric. What the hell's going on, you know I can not stand you dodging me and to tell you the truth, I'm hurt.

As I said it's an internal matter.

Buddy

Yeah, well I am internal. If anybody's internal, I'm internal. I'm probably the most internal son of a bitch you've ever met in your life---is that not right?

I'm not gonna talk about it.

Buddy

Until when?

Until ever, Buddy. I can't talk about it until ever.

Buddy

Ever is a long damn time.

Yes it is.

Coach Mac

Smash for quarterback?

Yeah.

Coach Mac

I believe Smash is better suited for the position he's in.

How do you mean?

Coach Mac

Well, guys like Smash and Baxter and even Voodoo they got a natural gift for running the ball

All three are Black, are you saying this gift has something to do with their skin color?

Coach Mac

What I'm saying Karen is and I'm saying in a good way, is that guys like Smash are--are fearless, they‘re dangerous. They're like a junkyard dogs. I mean, you want them carrying the ball. You want them tearing up turf out there.

So let me get this straight, Whites like Saracen make better quarterbacks because they are inherently smarter.

Coach Mac

You wanna put it that way, you could. Now, I'm not saying that all Black guys are dumb, just saying they got diff...

Mac, I need to talk to you.

Coach Mac

Well, all right. You're telling me that you think Matt Saracen has as much natural ability as a Smash?

You know what I'm telling you, what I'm telling you is that it's not too damn smart to be making generalizations about people's abilities based on their color. Think about that. That's what I'm saying.

Coach Mac

All right. What's done is done. No apology's gonna change that.

I'm not making a request.

[after Julie came home late] No, no, look at me. Please don't do this. Don't break our trust. Don't take our trust from us. Please.

Julie

I'm sorry; today's just been really...really kind of a crappy day. Matt's been yelling at me all day about...stupid quarterback stuff.

Matt Saracen's got you at quarterback? Wait honey. Hey, come here. What do you mean he's got you at quarterback?

Listen to me. Everything hangs in the balance right here. I have a question and I need some advice from you.

Tami

Alright.

I need to talk to the guidance counselor, not my wife. I need some unbiased, clear, honest advice. Everything hangs in the balance.

Tami

Alright, sit down. Come on, sit down.

The Boosters and Buddy want me to fire Mac McGill. I don't wanna fire Mac McGill. Mac McGill is a damn good coach and Mac McGill is important for me in the playoffs. I thought this was going to end a while ago, I didn't think it would go on as far as it did, I was wrong.

Tami

So what's the question?

The question is what do I do about firing Mac McGill?

Tami

What did he say?

Honey, you heard what he said. Everyone heard what he said.

Tami

I know, I know what he said. I want to review, let's review. Let's review the events.

About Smash Williams he said the black players have a gift for running the ball. That they're fearless.

Tami

Right. Fearless, they've got a gift. Wasn't there something else in that little phrase?

He said the thing about the junkyard dog thing, as far as the players like Matt Saracen.

Tami

You mean the white players?

Yes, the white players. He said they don't have the physicality. But he said they have more creative thinking which makes them more suited to lead. That's what he said. It was a stupid thing to say. I understand.

Tami

Well, I mean, as the guidance counselor I gotta say that that, to me, is a fireable offense. What he said.

Alright let me talk to my wife. Let me talk to the person who cares about me and cares about the team, and also has to understand the relevance and the importance to our future of us winning the regional.

Tami

There is nothing more clear to me that your team is way more important to you then Mac McGill.

Is there anyone else I can talk to?

Tami

You can talk to your friend.

What does she have to say?

Tami

This is not about Mac McGill, it's not about the team. This is about you. You've been put in this position now where you've got to make the decision. If you don't fire him at this point you are condoning what he said.

Honey he said something stupid, he's not a racist. He's a friend.

Tami

I know, but that is not something for a kids' assistant coach to say. No less for a government employee, which is what he is.

The three of you scare me.

How long we gonna sit out here?

Tami

A little bit longer.

All the other parents have picked up their perps, why can't we pick up ours?

Tami

I think I need to talk to you for a second, hon. I...I saw Matt Saracen buying condoms earlier this week.

I'm sorry. Say that again.

Tami

You heard what I said.

Oh, I'd love to hear you say that again.

Tami

No, I'm not gonna say it.

And you were gonna tell me this when?

Tami

I talked to Julie about it.

Oh, you did?

Tami

Well, yeah. I did.

You did. And did you also tell her that if he even touches a hair on her head, that's she's gonna be sent to a nunnery in Rome and I'm gonna rip his head off right afterwards?

Tami

No. No, but what I told her is that she's too young and that she's not ready. And then I tried to make the best case that I could against it.

Well, that's good.