primal defense
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The tearing down of the signs reminds me of what DKR said, "Only angry people win football games."
Strong frustrated by Longhorns' preparation
AUSTIN, Texas -- Charlie Strong had a bad feeling about that BYU game. He’s said so repeatedly ever since. In the week leading up to his first loss at Texas, a 41-7 blowout at home, Strong says he noticed a few hints of what was coming.
One clue: The new head coach’s failed motivational ploy. He had signs put up in Texas’ locker room displaying stats from last year’s game -- like BYU’s 550 rushing yards and 679 total yards -- as a taunting reminder and a test.
"Anywhere else I would’ve been, some player would’ve ran through there, tore all that down and probably would’ve burned it in the locker room," Strong said Monday. "They would’ve done something with it, ball it up and throw it on the floor. Nobody did nothing.
"And I did it for a reason, just to see what we would do. See if somebody would just get pissed and, if somebody put it up again the next day, if somebody would walk through there and tear it down again."
It was as if he’d put a Fathead of Taysom Hill on the wall and nobody noticed.
The players, unaware of Strong’s goal, let it slide. Texas cornerback Quandre Diggs and linebacker Jordan Hicks joked Monday they didn’t like the signs, but didn’t know if yanking them down would get them in trouble.
Another clue: Strong had a sneaking suspicion his players weren’t putting in extra time in the film room.
There’s only so much that can be taught within the 20-hour confines of meetings and practice. He’d hoped players would recognize that, going into a rematch with a supposedly hated BYU team, they needed to maximize their preparation on their own time. Strong confronted this issue after the loss.
"I told them, ‘How many of you guys really came by here last week and just looked at tape?’ Not many hands were raising," he said. "Not many guys, by a show of hands. Not many at all.
"If you really want to be a good team and be a really good football player, go study the game. You don’t just walk out there on game day and be prepared like we’re just gonna go beat a really good football team -- cause it wasn’t going to happen and it did not happen."
That leads right to the biggest clue, the one Strong immediately called out after the 34-point drubbing: In the hour before the game kicked off, Strong knew something wasn’t right.
While watching pregame warm-ups, Strong turned to an assistant and said, flatly, "We’re not ready to play tonight." He wanted to blow a whistle right then and there and send his team back to the locker room, a tactic he’d used before at Louisville.
When they got back to the locker room after warm-ups, Strong said what he felt needed to be said.
"I called the team up and told them we’re not ready to play. Our focus isn’t there," Strong said in his postgame comments. "We’re getting ready to play a really good football team and we’re going to get embarrassed if we don’t watch out. That’s what happened tonight."
He could tell by the players’ demeanor, how they took the field and carried themselves. Something seemed off. He saw this back in the spring, too. When the effort wasn’t there, when the vibe was wrong, he’d blow a whistle and start practice over.
"If you’ve been around them long enough, you know," Strong said.
The concerns Strong shared Monday delve into a variety of topics -- leadership, accountability, confidence, resilience -- but his biggest concern might just be this: Where is this team’s pride?
If it sounds like Strong threw his players under the bus, he disagrees. He’s said all of this to their faces. He’s wondered aloud whether the coaches cared more about beating BYU than the players did.
"They heard it from me. They heard it from me for two to three days and they’ll continue to hear it from me," Strong said. "You just don’t walk into your stadium, with your home crowd, and get beat."
The scrutiny of Texas’ preparation couldn’t be more essential now, with a trip to Dallas to face No. 12 UCLA up next and meetings with No. 8 Baylor and No. 4 Oklahoma on the horizon.
Strong vowed he and his coaches are just as accountable for what happened against BYU. No more ignoring the clues and hints that these Longhorns aren’t ready.
"I’ll tell you right now, I’m just eaten up inside because of the performance the other night. It’s hard for me to get over it," Strong said. "I can’t let one loss beat me twice. I know at some point I have to get over it, but it’s hard for me to get over it right now.
"Because I just know this: That’s not an indication of how good this football team is and where this football team is at. We’re a much better football team than what we showed the other
http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/big12/post/_/id/88970/strong-frustrated-by-longhorns-preparation
Strong frustrated by Longhorns' preparation
AUSTIN, Texas -- Charlie Strong had a bad feeling about that BYU game. He’s said so repeatedly ever since. In the week leading up to his first loss at Texas, a 41-7 blowout at home, Strong says he noticed a few hints of what was coming.
One clue: The new head coach’s failed motivational ploy. He had signs put up in Texas’ locker room displaying stats from last year’s game -- like BYU’s 550 rushing yards and 679 total yards -- as a taunting reminder and a test.
"Anywhere else I would’ve been, some player would’ve ran through there, tore all that down and probably would’ve burned it in the locker room," Strong said Monday. "They would’ve done something with it, ball it up and throw it on the floor. Nobody did nothing.
"And I did it for a reason, just to see what we would do. See if somebody would just get pissed and, if somebody put it up again the next day, if somebody would walk through there and tear it down again."
It was as if he’d put a Fathead of Taysom Hill on the wall and nobody noticed.
The players, unaware of Strong’s goal, let it slide. Texas cornerback Quandre Diggs and linebacker Jordan Hicks joked Monday they didn’t like the signs, but didn’t know if yanking them down would get them in trouble.
Another clue: Strong had a sneaking suspicion his players weren’t putting in extra time in the film room.
There’s only so much that can be taught within the 20-hour confines of meetings and practice. He’d hoped players would recognize that, going into a rematch with a supposedly hated BYU team, they needed to maximize their preparation on their own time. Strong confronted this issue after the loss.
"I told them, ‘How many of you guys really came by here last week and just looked at tape?’ Not many hands were raising," he said. "Not many guys, by a show of hands. Not many at all.
"If you really want to be a good team and be a really good football player, go study the game. You don’t just walk out there on game day and be prepared like we’re just gonna go beat a really good football team -- cause it wasn’t going to happen and it did not happen."
That leads right to the biggest clue, the one Strong immediately called out after the 34-point drubbing: In the hour before the game kicked off, Strong knew something wasn’t right.
While watching pregame warm-ups, Strong turned to an assistant and said, flatly, "We’re not ready to play tonight." He wanted to blow a whistle right then and there and send his team back to the locker room, a tactic he’d used before at Louisville.
When they got back to the locker room after warm-ups, Strong said what he felt needed to be said.
"I called the team up and told them we’re not ready to play. Our focus isn’t there," Strong said in his postgame comments. "We’re getting ready to play a really good football team and we’re going to get embarrassed if we don’t watch out. That’s what happened tonight."
He could tell by the players’ demeanor, how they took the field and carried themselves. Something seemed off. He saw this back in the spring, too. When the effort wasn’t there, when the vibe was wrong, he’d blow a whistle and start practice over.
"If you’ve been around them long enough, you know," Strong said.
The concerns Strong shared Monday delve into a variety of topics -- leadership, accountability, confidence, resilience -- but his biggest concern might just be this: Where is this team’s pride?
If it sounds like Strong threw his players under the bus, he disagrees. He’s said all of this to their faces. He’s wondered aloud whether the coaches cared more about beating BYU than the players did.
"They heard it from me. They heard it from me for two to three days and they’ll continue to hear it from me," Strong said. "You just don’t walk into your stadium, with your home crowd, and get beat."
The scrutiny of Texas’ preparation couldn’t be more essential now, with a trip to Dallas to face No. 12 UCLA up next and meetings with No. 8 Baylor and No. 4 Oklahoma on the horizon.
Strong vowed he and his coaches are just as accountable for what happened against BYU. No more ignoring the clues and hints that these Longhorns aren’t ready.
"I’ll tell you right now, I’m just eaten up inside because of the performance the other night. It’s hard for me to get over it," Strong said. "I can’t let one loss beat me twice. I know at some point I have to get over it, but it’s hard for me to get over it right now.
"Because I just know this: That’s not an indication of how good this football team is and where this football team is at. We’re a much better football team than what we showed the other
http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/big12/post/_/id/88970/strong-frustrated-by-longhorns-preparation
