One of the things that I think will go a long way in helping our defense avoid the meltdowns of the past several years is Riley committing to awarding blackshirts like during the TO era rather than this "well, we'll see and maybe give out a few some time if they EARN them" crap that Pelini had in play.
Will having a different color shirt all week in practice make the difference? In of itself, no. But the way that Blackshirts were handled over the past 7 years was a microcosm of the mind games that Pelini played with his players.
Pelini did what lot of bad coaches do, which is keep his team in a constant state of internal competition. For some reason, some coaches think that this motivates players to do better, but it in fact has the opposite effect. When a player is in constant fear if losing his spot every play, he no longer can be an aggressive and confident player. His motivation is not to take it to the other team, because the other team is not his primary opponent. Rather, the coach and his backup are his main opponents and every technical detail the coach preaches in practice becomes the focus of the player, letting what's going on in the game move the backburner. Then, when things go bad, the player lets down big time, because he knows what's coming (grief, punishment, and possible replacement).
You could see it happening in every blowout loss we had. The three Wisconsin blowouts, the 2012 OSU blowout, and so on. Whenever there was something on the line, the players, especially the defensive players, would stiffen up, argue among each other as to who's fault something was, and so on. Did you notice that our defense ofter played more technically sound when there was not much on the line, even against good competition?
Competition in spring and fall camp is fine, but when we get to the first game week, it needs to be established who the starters and backups are. Sure, if you have a position where you rotate, then it might be appropriate to award a few more blackshirts. And if during the season another player emerges and one seriously falters (over many games - which shouldn't happen if you pick the right guys) then a change can be made. But you need starters who can take ownership as starters as well as responsibility for winning the game, rather than 22 "starters" who are constantly worried that their first mistake might be their last.
Oh, and BTW, having a coaching staff that doesn't just let the other team do things to them over and over again while being too pig headed to change things up will help too.
Will having a different color shirt all week in practice make the difference? In of itself, no. But the way that Blackshirts were handled over the past 7 years was a microcosm of the mind games that Pelini played with his players.
Pelini did what lot of bad coaches do, which is keep his team in a constant state of internal competition. For some reason, some coaches think that this motivates players to do better, but it in fact has the opposite effect. When a player is in constant fear if losing his spot every play, he no longer can be an aggressive and confident player. His motivation is not to take it to the other team, because the other team is not his primary opponent. Rather, the coach and his backup are his main opponents and every technical detail the coach preaches in practice becomes the focus of the player, letting what's going on in the game move the backburner. Then, when things go bad, the player lets down big time, because he knows what's coming (grief, punishment, and possible replacement).
You could see it happening in every blowout loss we had. The three Wisconsin blowouts, the 2012 OSU blowout, and so on. Whenever there was something on the line, the players, especially the defensive players, would stiffen up, argue among each other as to who's fault something was, and so on. Did you notice that our defense ofter played more technically sound when there was not much on the line, even against good competition?
Competition in spring and fall camp is fine, but when we get to the first game week, it needs to be established who the starters and backups are. Sure, if you have a position where you rotate, then it might be appropriate to award a few more blackshirts. And if during the season another player emerges and one seriously falters (over many games - which shouldn't happen if you pick the right guys) then a change can be made. But you need starters who can take ownership as starters as well as responsibility for winning the game, rather than 22 "starters" who are constantly worried that their first mistake might be their last.
Oh, and BTW, having a coaching staff that doesn't just let the other team do things to them over and over again while being too pig headed to change things up will help too.
