For jumping offsides. I told another one (my own son) he’ll have a seat too if he wasn’t down in his stance and ready to go when the center touched the ball. Another one asked me if he was supposed to be on kickoff 3 times(the answer was no and has always been no.) After the 3rd time I told him if he didn’t know where he was supposed to be he would have a seat for the rest of the day.
I tell them “don’t WALK on my field. I don’t wanna see you moving slower than a jog once you cross those white lines.” All of this in a rec level league game that we ended up winning 39-0.
Why have I said all of this...we have 18-23 yr olds who aren’t executing on the fundamental tasks that give you a chance to win games. Things i know 7-8 yr olds can do at a high level. Maybe I’m what is now considered “old school.” Maybe I’m overly frustrated and disappointed tonight but I don’t see any accountability. Missouri is literally beating Missouri and it feels like it’s ok. Guys are out there doing things that used to get you benched for the rest of the game and they don’t even come out.
Saban can be an asshole, but you don’t see mental errors like that out of Bama on their absolute worst day. He won’t tolerate that.
1. Miscommunication and Mizzou onside kicks. Costs you points. (Give me another kickoff guy)
2. Jump offsides at least 3 times. (Offending party gotta come off the field and you’re missing a rotation)
3. False start on your All American TE (he gotta come off the field)
4. Your LG has 3 penalties, (we gotta get somebody else in there)
5. You commit a dumb personal foul for fighting or taunting (have a seat for a series)
6. Misalign or blow coverage (come stand next to me and let’s talk about what was supposed to happen.)
7. D-linemen walking around without any urgency and the ball is snapped before they line up(get off the field.)
All this is reactive. We shouldn’t even be talking about this happening in a game because in practice the expectation is that we’re not going to beat ourselves and we’re going to practice that way. If you received a scholarship to play ball, chances are very high that the number one thing you want to do is play. The things above are non negotiable to even having a chance to get on the field.
One more story: I tore my ACL in spring ball. It was an inside run drill and the thing I remember most about that play is GP yelling “get your a$$ off the ground.” I got up and limped to the sideline. Now obviously he didn’t know i had torn my ACL but he had this rule that you didn’t lay on the ground unless you were really injured. I wasn’t injured enough to lay on the ground. The ground is where losers stay. It also creates a level of mental toughness that allows you to dial it in and overcome adversity. I respect the hell out of GP for that and it’s part of how he took Mizzou to the heights he did.
This team is not top of the SEC talented but it is talented enough to be somewhere between 3-6 in the SEC and ranked in the top 25. 8-4 should be the absolute floor. Instead, 6-6 is a real possibility.
I’m looking for Coach Odom to confirm who I think he is and take Mizzou where I think he can. Today is truly the first day I’ve had my doubts.
The good news is, I don’t ever recall feeling this down as a player. Even when we got our tails handed to us and things were going bad. As a member of the team you can do something about it and this was just one of 12. How I, as a fan, feel doesn’t really matter and won’t have any impact on the outcome of games.
Here’s to finishing strong because fandom sucks when your team is losing. My wife and kids would probably appreciate it too.
I tell them “don’t WALK on my field. I don’t wanna see you moving slower than a jog once you cross those white lines.” All of this in a rec level league game that we ended up winning 39-0.
Why have I said all of this...we have 18-23 yr olds who aren’t executing on the fundamental tasks that give you a chance to win games. Things i know 7-8 yr olds can do at a high level. Maybe I’m what is now considered “old school.” Maybe I’m overly frustrated and disappointed tonight but I don’t see any accountability. Missouri is literally beating Missouri and it feels like it’s ok. Guys are out there doing things that used to get you benched for the rest of the game and they don’t even come out.
Saban can be an asshole, but you don’t see mental errors like that out of Bama on their absolute worst day. He won’t tolerate that.
1. Miscommunication and Mizzou onside kicks. Costs you points. (Give me another kickoff guy)
2. Jump offsides at least 3 times. (Offending party gotta come off the field and you’re missing a rotation)
3. False start on your All American TE (he gotta come off the field)
4. Your LG has 3 penalties, (we gotta get somebody else in there)
5. You commit a dumb personal foul for fighting or taunting (have a seat for a series)
6. Misalign or blow coverage (come stand next to me and let’s talk about what was supposed to happen.)
7. D-linemen walking around without any urgency and the ball is snapped before they line up(get off the field.)
All this is reactive. We shouldn’t even be talking about this happening in a game because in practice the expectation is that we’re not going to beat ourselves and we’re going to practice that way. If you received a scholarship to play ball, chances are very high that the number one thing you want to do is play. The things above are non negotiable to even having a chance to get on the field.
One more story: I tore my ACL in spring ball. It was an inside run drill and the thing I remember most about that play is GP yelling “get your a$$ off the ground.” I got up and limped to the sideline. Now obviously he didn’t know i had torn my ACL but he had this rule that you didn’t lay on the ground unless you were really injured. I wasn’t injured enough to lay on the ground. The ground is where losers stay. It also creates a level of mental toughness that allows you to dial it in and overcome adversity. I respect the hell out of GP for that and it’s part of how he took Mizzou to the heights he did.
This team is not top of the SEC talented but it is talented enough to be somewhere between 3-6 in the SEC and ranked in the top 25. 8-4 should be the absolute floor. Instead, 6-6 is a real possibility.
I’m looking for Coach Odom to confirm who I think he is and take Mizzou where I think he can. Today is truly the first day I’ve had my doubts.
The good news is, I don’t ever recall feeling this down as a player. Even when we got our tails handed to us and things were going bad. As a member of the team you can do something about it and this was just one of 12. How I, as a fan, feel doesn’t really matter and won’t have any impact on the outcome of games.
Here’s to finishing strong because fandom sucks when your team is losing. My wife and kids would probably appreciate it too.
