Or more specifically, can you coach toughness OUT of a bunch of kids? I never played football, obviously, but I bet most, if not all, of Texas' players had some toughness in high school. I just don't see it now. They allow themselves to be pushed around, and some of them seem to actually shy away from contact. How do these kids get so soft?
The milk and cookies took it right out of them. I love the way Patterson immediately gets into his players face when they screw up. He lets them know that someone "notices" and that there are consequences to be paid.
Toughness is a trait that must be demanded. Once it's established, it's contagious and becomes expected of others as well.
I've made mention of this before but maybe it's worth saying again. I see the players and coaches around all the time and get to know a good number of them. Therefore I recognize them even when they are alone and not traveling in a pack towards the workout facility or to practice. They strut around like Gods, on top of the world. People cling to them, girls orbit around them laughing and giggling at every word, funny or not. I have a good idea of what else they do for them besides laugh with them. This is win or lose. They pranced around campus after the OU whipping like nothing happened. They were on top of the world best you could tell. Girls in orbit around 'em, on their jock. People high-fiving them as they passed on the sidewalk. Nah, nothing bad happened that past weekend. I know that it should not plunge them into a deep dark secluded depression but at least show you give a damn. Nah, tuition, room, board, meals...paid for. Girls at their whimsy and who knows what else. They are Gods and Gods are not accountable for what they do. Not these Gods. They just don't seem to care. That or they are fantastic actors. Some players do care and you can see it in their faces and actions after a loss or before a big game. You just know. But most of this team and recent ones, no. Just my observations as a fan and a person with good intuition and an ability to notice things in people, to read them well.
Teams usually are a reflection of their coaches so make your own conclusion about why the toughness of Texas football has been questioned so often. That speech by Studdard to the team was pretty telling and I wonder what he thinks about the team today? The Link I thought it had been posted already, but if not have a look.
Yes, but it does not include hand clapping, nonexistent S&C, and continued ******** excuses. NCAA and HS football are full of overachieving teams which were mentally and physically tough. When was the last time we owned the fourth quarter? May I direct you to a few old timers and two words - Frank Medina. How about Mr Hager? Perhaps a young man named John Hagy, who we took a chance own after being left at the alter on signing day. Maybe coaches named Curtis or Etheridge or Mayfield or Malone among a plethora of others. Under Akers and Dana Leduc we had more lineman on one team that could bench over 500 than we've had combined since this lard *** arrived. We actually beat SMU in Texas Stadium and won the SWC Championship (yes, we used to win conference championships) because Rodney Tate, all 195 pounds of him, could bench 325+. If we had a Leon Fuller, Dick Twomey, Rick Lantz, Bill Michael, Barry Switzer, Nick Saban, Tom Landry, Lombardi, Bud Wilkinson, we would have 60 open scholarships within two weeks.
I have been asking myself this same question ever since Coogar High beat us 30-0 in Austin in 1976. St Darrell was coach then and while it may be a sacrilege to remember, it seemed like more of the same at the time after the five straight losses to OU prior to that year. I thought it about some more when the Horns that had played within a pont of an MNC in 1983 gave up in 1984 and got reamed by Iowa in the Freedom Bowl. I thought about it when Coogar High hung 60+ McWilliams teams, and again during the 1997 goal post tour. And after 37 years of asking this question I have two theories: 1. Austin. Ever notice how the best and the brightest in every field come to Austin and lose all motivation? Austinites are lotus-eaters, if you remember your Greek mythology. The heat causes lethargy, the laid back atmosphere induces apathy. And the contentment a person feels in Austin makes a person feel like they've already arrived, like Austin is heaven, or the end all, be all. We can lose 66-3, have a beer and think, "eh... do I want Tex-Mex or barbeque?" 2. The UT aristocracy. There are a million or so of us average fans with strong opinions but we don't matter because the football progam has always been influenced by a small, priviledged, ruling class of billionaires. They love Mack Brown because, unlike some of his predecessors, he panders to everyone of them. He's just a really nice guy. But you've got to ask yourself. How can anybody kick ***, take names, make tough decision, be a hard *** and hold the players accountable when he has to simper and kiss *** just to keep his job? 3. Bottom line. It's our culture. And that's why MNCs are so wonderful because they're abberant in a culture like ours.
I lost respect for Brown a few years ago when he refused to bench Garrett Gilbert after throwing 5 interceptions against Kansas St. because he didn't want to "destroy his confidence." That was one of those WTF? moments where I wondered if making his "kids" feel good about themselves was more a priority than winning.
That is why DKR retired at the end of that season. He couldn't stand what college football had become. All the cheating in recruiting and in other ways made him lose interest in coaching. The last straw really was that OU game where Texas had played such a great game on defense and had a 6-0 lead late only to have Ivey Suber fumble and result in a 6-6 tie. Coach Royal wanted that game as much I think as a national championship because he hated Switzer so much and this was when the spying on Texas practices had come to light. Coach Royal knew it was time for him to go as he could no longer put his heart and soul into coaching the Horns and he did just that. Coach Broyles at Arkansas after talking to his good friend Coach Royal decided to do the same and they both retired after the final game of the season between the two schools in Austin, which appropiately Texas won.
It's downright sad when you realize if we end at 7-5 it will be a great year from the point we stand at now. We'd have gone 6-3 the rest of the way and beat some decent teams we probably aren't expected to. lol Unfortunately this bad boy ends at 6-6. Sure am glad we didn't waste Tyrone's redshirt last night...wouldn't want Swoopes to have lost a year for the team he transfers to. Thanks Texas. Oh and while we are at, thanks also for removing ALL the hottie Hooters type girls as servers in the Endzone Club. Nothing says fun and sells beer better than having my mother and her bridge club serve drinks and slowly wait on 2 packed lines at a time. Who is making all the business decisions in this damn university these days? I think someone decided their mission in life was to make all loyal male Horns sports fans miserable in every way possible. When does basketball season start??? Oh wait, nevermind. Now that I have Longhorn Network on TWC, I can watch both my Horns teams get hammered by mid-level chumps. So glad my donations are being put to such productive use.
"ANGRY MEN WIN FOOTBALL GAMES" DKR this team and several recent teams are not angry... I am not going to speculate who, why, how. etc. By gawd we're TEXAS - get some serious attitude and go out and kick some ***!!!
Along the lines of toughness, its work ethic and accountability that create a great atmosphere. And that all starts at the top. Who is the first one in the football offices? Who holds you accountable when you cheat on that last set on bench press?? While you may not be able to "teach" toughness, the head coach and coaches can set the tone, the level of work ethic and accountability shown. I think both of those could lead to an increase in toughness.
Yes, emphatically, toughness can and is coached. See Lombardi, Landry, Saban, Harbaugh, Woody Hayes, etc. DKR was as tough and no nonsense as they come. He wouldn't tolerate a soft, undisciplined bunch of players.
Cary, Can you imagine any of this group with Medina's 100 pound weight vest? Or working out in his steam room?
I think all of you have hit upon the crux of the problem. A problem that is having a greater impact on this team than game plans, play calling, or talent.
It's the general culture that is apparently being fostered. It's hard to imagine a Division 1 team can be as soft as Texas.
I watched Jimmy Johnson coach when the Cowboys trained in Austin, and to answer the question, yes...a head coach can make all the difference in the world in the toughness of his players. I was struck by Johnson's coaching that football's not that different from raising kids. If you instill responsibility and an understanding of consequences in a kid, there's a good chance that kid grows into a responsible adult. Place NO expectations on the kid, and you get one with NO discipline. Head football coaches who coddle their players, and shield them from criticism DON'T help those players. Reality in the workplace is that you either meet or exceed expectations, or someone replaces you. Head coaches who teach that way get players who will hit and tackle, who will avoid mistakes like the plague, and who will do what it takes to win rather than come up with excuses for losses. Bottom line...head coaches can make all the difference in the world, good or bad, in player performance. I can't imagine in my wildest dreams that Coach Royal would have tolerated some of the performances Mack has, without SERIOUSLY getting into the grills and hurting the feelings of some players.
Can you teach toughness to a bunch of kids? Well the U.S. Marines do and it is very effective. So, yes it can be done.
If you look around the state at all of the top 5A talent, the best kids on the best teams are typically coddled system players who've been doing the same thing since 7th grade. Not a knock on Jerrod Heard, but he's been learning these plays for at least 3 years, if not more when you consider the middle school feeders. Even VY and Manziel did this, although they were a lot better at improvising than the average joe. The resulting psyche of what follows has nothing to do with the city of Austin. It has everything to do with "maintaining" the star players and making sure they're kept happy, well-fed, uninjured, and kept in public memory to make them seem more appealing than they are. It's a system that Will Lyles knows all-too-well. It takes the "perception" of a star athlete and keeps feeding it and feeding it until everyone and their dog knows who that kid is and what position he's being recruited for, regardless of whether he's even the best player available at that position. If this is what makes some players soft, than so be it. The alternative is, you know, coaching up the kids who AREN'T well-known 5-star studs, who put in the weightroom and summer workout effort, and getting the toughness from somewhere other than the ESPN300 list or the Rivals100 list. Some teams make it work, some don't. We fall in the "don't" list, for those of you keeping score at home.
I sat in my seats I've had 20+ years Sat night until the game was over and among the many observations was of the head coach clapping and patting all the players as they came off the field after one unsuccessful possession after another. And then thinking one of his strengths is shepherding his players down to the band and depressingly singing The Eyes. Oh dear god. Longhorn Football, Inc should declare Bankruptcy and start all over. Hook'em!!!
Plain and simple...they are not held accountable. Make a mistake stay on the field. Stink up a game... Milk and cookies speach to sooth the emotions of failure. I think that is what's wrong with this team. Blame Mack for Promoting this environment and blame the players for settling for mediocrity and poor effort. All is not lost yet... But the path looks pretty dark and dreary... The light at the end of the tunnel may just be a few wins but not sure the team cand head in the right direction.
Oh good grief - blaming Austin? Really? Weak argument. It comes down to the environment (and that's their micro-environment on campus) they live and "work" in - and how coaches coach them both in football and in life. Gail in WA
