Changing The Culture

 https://www.hornsports.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/txbam09.jpg

Aside from the defensive upgrade and an increased recruiting presence, the most important thing that Charlie Strong offered as a head coaching candidate was a change in culture. For most of my life, the Texas Longhorns have been known as a country club culture that coddles its players and plays soft. Sure there have been some teams that have defied this label. In 2005, a team led by Vince Young proved their mettle through an undefeated season en route to a National Championship. In 2008 and 2009 the team led by Colt McCoy, Sergio Kindle, and Earl Thomas showed once again that a tough program could be had on the 40 acres. Still, for the majority of Mack Brown’s tenure the media and NFL scouts questioned the culture and opponents outright mocked it. Exit Mack Brown and enter Charlie Strong. Strong who had the unfortunate quote; “If something is soft you make it hard” is known for his attention to details and commitment to excellence on and off the field. On Sunday night, Coach Strong and some of the assistants who had been hired met with the team and he set forth the expectations for Longhorn Football players under his watch. As mentioned above these edicts were passed along by a source to Scipio Tex and he detailed them on Barking Carnival. Let’s take a look at what an athlete can expect when playing for Charlie Strong.

Players will attend all of their classes and sit in the front two rows of all of their classes. 　GAs, academic folks, position coaches will be checking constantly now.

This one is pretty self-explanatory. Longhorn Athletes are to be students first and there will be accountability on the academic side of the equation. One of the more puzzling things that happened under Mack Brown’s regime was the consistent shortcomings of the academic support staff. I don’t know if those people have been retained under Strong, but if they have they better up their game because I don’t believe Strong is going to let this part slide. In his introductory press conference, Strong spoke proudly about the athletes he graduated at Louisville and the rise in graduation rate for the Cardinals. Charlie Strong obviously cares a great deal about molding young people and the best foundation he can lay for his players is a quality education.

No headphones in class. No texting in class. Sit up and take notes.

Not only are they expected to attend all classes and sit in the front rows, a message has been sent that attendance isn’t the only thing that matters. The obvious point is that you can’t learn when texting or listening to headphones, but this also sends a message about respect. I’m not that much older than most of these players, but I honestly can’t imagine showing up to a class with headphones on if there is a lecture in progress. It shows a lack of respect for the professor and other students. Not only does this benefit the student in the classroom, it teaches them a lesson about time and place and respect.

If a player misses a class, he runs until it hurts. If he misses two classes, his entire position unit runs. If he misses three, the position coach runs. The position coaches don’t want to run.

Accountability seems to be a theme here and this one strikes right into the heart of it. Strike one and you will pay, strike two your unit will pay, and strike three all of you, including your coach will pay. Bottom line, if a player isn’t going to be accountable for his self, peer pressure will surely get the job done. This may be my favorite rule out of the bunch. If you preach an environment of accountability it will eventually spread throughout all aspects of their lives.

No earrings in the football building. No drugs. No stealing. No guns. Treat women with respect.

The earring rule is an interesting one, but it probably speaks to the attitude Charlie Strong wants his players to have when they enter the facility. This is a place of business, when you walk through those doors it’s time to go to work. Don’t worry about looking good, this is where we work. It’s a more military mindset than these players are probably used to, and it will probably piss some guys off, but when you’re re-building a program you have to start at the ground level. It’s always easier to start off harsh and ease up than it is to start soft and then try to ratchet up the intensity. No drugs and no stealing speak to issues with trust. If you do anything to lose the trust of your teammates and coaches or embarrass the University then you lose his trust. If Coach Strong can’t trust you off the field, then how can he trust you on the field? My father used to say that trust is like a house and when you break that trust you burn the house down. He may forgive my breach in trust, but like a house it must be re-built from the foundation up.

No guns – Is certainly an interesting subject since I myself am a pro 2^nd amendment citizen. That said, in this case I can understand. For an athlete (specifically a college athlete) they tend to lead to more bad than good. The underlying theme here is to stay away from somewhere that you might need to have a gun to feel safe.

Treat women with respect – As an athlete you are a representative of the University and are expected to act like one. You are also a young man, and men don’t disrespect women plain and simple. I’m sure there are a couple of former wide receivers who are glad they got out of the program before Strong arrived.

Players may not live off campus anymore, unless they’re a senior who hits certain academic standards. The University will buy out the leases for every player currently living off campus and put them in the athletic dorm.

The team will all live together, eat together, suffer together, and hang out together. 　They will become a true team and learn to impose accountability on each other. 　The cliques are over.

This seems like a rule straight out of Remember the Titans and the Herman Boone philosophy of team building. Chemistry, accountability, and teamwork cannot exist in an environment of cliques and separation. Losing their freedom might ruffle some feathers in the beginning, but by being forced to be around each other every day; Strong’s hope is they will become one team focused on one common goal. As far as the lease buy outs, I have no clue how that would work in within the guidelines of the NCAA bylaws. I’m sure Coach Strong has investigated this and knows of some way but I have no idea how it would work. If you want your freedom of living off campus, you better earn it.

There’s no time for a rebuild. “I don’t have time for that.” The expectation is that Texas wins now.

Coaches don’t have a lot of leash when it comes to turning around programs, especially the elite ones. Strong knows that the expectation is to win and do it quickly. There will be no more excuses, no more moving the goal posts on expectations, and full accountability for any shortcomings. The cupboard is not bare here, and the time is now to re-claim its rightful place in College Football.

Players will learn that they would rather practice than milk a minor injury

Any athletes wishing to sit back and slow play an injury are in for a rude awakening when they meet Pat Moorer. Moorer utilizes something he calls “The Pit” for injured players. The Pit is an intense series of workouts that are designed to make regular workouts and practices seem like a walk in the park. If a player is injured, he will be provided with the proper motivation to get healthy again.

The focus is on winning and graduating. 　Anything extraneous to that is a distraction and will be stamped out or removed.

Strong met individually with seniors and key leaders and re-emphasized that the plan is to win now. They can lead the new culture or be run over by it.

The message here is crystal clear; the focus is on winning and graduating. That is where the bar is and the team leaders need to get on board or get out of the way because it’s going to happen with or without them

“I don’t want to talk about things. I’d rather do things. We just talked. Now it’s time to do.”

The expectations have been laid out and the rules have been established. The time for discussion is over, it’s now time go to work.

If you’re still reading, you’re probably thinking that this might run some players and recruits off. If it does, it will cause some angst among the fans, but this is how you purge a disease and cure it. Entitlement is a thing of the past, and if you want to be entitled and coddled goes somewhere else. New defensive coordinator Vance Bedford said at Louisville “The train is coming, get on board or get out of the way”. It’s safe to say that message can now be applied in Austin.