Lol...sorry, it's not bravado. If you've coached and ever tried to establish a culture, there are many times when you must take a step backwards to take two steps forward. In Scott's case, there were so many issues coming in, one couldn't expect him to fix it in one year. He is obviously still experiencing issues with lack of buy-in and discipline and it is at these times when rules of conduct are not only established...but more importantly, executed upon. Losing an unproven freshman (Robinson), a special teams player (Stovall), a running back we honestly cant expect anything from this year at this point (Washington), and a potential starting safety (biggest hit, Dismuke) is not the end of the world. If the discipline results in this type of behavior being greatly diminished, then in my eyes, it is worth it in the long haul...even if we drop a game we shouldn't have. This is the year to completely clear the cobwebs and hopefully, leadership amongst the players will get firmly established at the same time.
Coached young kids, played, been a part of programs that had some pot smoking, some excessive drinking, some steroid use, a little unsavory behavior with the opposite sex. I saw some guys get cited for alcohol, marijuana, assault, shoplifting, had cars, stereos, appliances and furniture repossessed, all the fun and games that comes with a few thousand 17-22 year olds in a relatively small area.
And since you know how it is to coach, you also should know there are a million opportunities just during practice to change behavior, and create examples of guys. Our coach wasn’t a drinker, he had his dad die young from alcohol abuse, so showing up with a hangover was going to be a brutal day, Star or benchwarmer. You were guaranteed to get extra reps during sucky drills, have water breaks cut short, have second and third stringers come after you with greater gusto, and probably get fewer reps with your usual group, but get tossed in with one of the scrub groups.
A starter coming off the bench is a solid message. A player getting far fewer minutes is a message. Being disparaged in practice is a message. Being put against a particular player with the sole purpose of making your practice that much worse is a message. Being ridden, coached over, grilled about classes, all these things can make your life suck, and the entire team gets to watch you suffer. And God forbid you dog it or whine, because it would just get worse.
It cracks me up when people think there is only one way to send a message to an entire team. Ask the guys on the 95 squad how much fun LP had when he was allowed back. And don’t jump on the fact he was suspended, he committed a very violent crime, and his punishment was probably too light. But when he did come back, his practices were pure misery. No one missed the message sent, no one thought he was getting preferential treatment.
For 85% of the team, drinking a beer is breaking the law. If the NCAA was going to be true to its rules, when they did testing, they’d include alcohol and show it as a violation for anyone under the age of 21. If guys get cited for that, are you in favor of suspension as well? If kids go to a big house party over the summer and get a ticket for minor in possession, should they be suspended?
Bravado or not, the idea we go into Boulder, or the first 4 games without the use of several starters or key contributors puts the team at risk.
