OT: Culture in college football - specifically, at Colorado. SI: article on fight at practice and Deion's take
We all have noted how important culture is to a football team / program - the changes at Michigan have been recognized and noted. This article caught my eye - and I thought I'd share it with you to gain your views.
Apparently, a fight broke out during a Colorado practice and Deion called out two players who didn't participate / join in supporting those who were engaged.
Here's the link to the article. https://www.si.com/extra-mustard/2023/08/16/deion-sanders-not-happy-with-players-who-didnt-join-in-colorado-practice-fight
My view is: in a game - should an altercation arise - be aware of where you are on the field - and support your teammates at all times. During practice? Are we talking practice? Things can get heated - and, no background regarding the altercation was provided in the article - I don't think everyone has to, or should, pick sides if / when two players get after each other.
It's one team - everyone should be supporting everyone else to the degree they can.
August 17th, 2023 at 12:14 PM ^
A fight also broke out at an LSU scrimmage last week as well. Sounds like punches were thrown and players sent to the locker room.
I get that things can get heated during practices and that competition can be fierce for playing time. But man, you are all on the same team.
I can't stand Kelly, but his response was a little different from Coach Prime's:
“We have to be able to maintain our emotions while staying aggressive,” coach Brian Kelly told the team afterward, per Geaux247’s Glen West. “It’s up to you all to figure that out, it’s not something that the staff can do for you. Respect your brother out here always.”
August 17th, 2023 at 12:20 PM ^
damn, if only BK had respect for Declan Sullivan.
August 17th, 2023 at 12:31 PM ^
Ugh. I hate these kinds of comments. What's the point? Sneering? Being superior?
Not defending Brian Kelly the man, but can you imagine how annoying it would be if we were having an actual in-person conversation and every time anyone mentioned LSU or BK you popped in to say something like that? It would get old awfully quick.
What happened was a tragedy. If you think Brian Kelley wanted him to die, or had any idea he would die, then we have very different understandings. He was reckless. And that had tragic consequences. Good thing you're around to point that out. Thanks.
August 17th, 2023 at 1:07 PM ^
Ugh. I hate these kind of comments that excuse decisions that lead directly to death because the decider is a good football coach.
Can you imagine being Declan Sullivan's parents or siblings waking up every morning knowing that Purple Face's recklessness has taken your son or brother? It would get old awfully quick.
What happened was reckless indifference for someone's life. It NEEDS to be pointed out so it never happens again, and Coach Kelly is recognized for POS human being he is.
FIFY.
August 17th, 2023 at 1:14 PM ^
Not defending Brian Kelly the man, but can you imagine how annoying it would be if we were having an actual in-person conversation and every time anyone mentioned LSU or BK you popped in to say something like that? It would get old awfully quick.
"Yeah, two ND students are dead because of Kelly's program [don't forget Lizzie Seeberg] which is a pity but ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?"
A thought: maybe a guy who is so reckless that his program has led to students' deaths shouldn't be coaching college football?
August 17th, 2023 at 1:26 PM ^
DJ Durkin is still employed, so. I guess we have our answer. I'm not saying I agree with it, but society has made up its mind.
August 17th, 2023 at 1:36 PM ^
Maryland did fire him, so he had to at least suffer that indignity.
At a minimum, it should be fair game to bring up the, uh, "collateral damage" that Brian Kelly's football teams have inflicted.
August 17th, 2023 at 1:45 PM ^
Fine with me. I have no love for BK. Just wondering why snide comments have to be made every single time Kelly's name is mentioned. It's boring and irrelevant to what we're talking about.
"Will someone please think of the children???"
August 17th, 2023 at 2:48 PM ^
I sorta get the argument but I'd be fine bringing up athlete-related deaths whenever DJ Durkin's name comes up, sexual assault victims being ignored whenever any of the Briles's names come up, and anyone else who seemingly showed callous disregard for the health and well-being of students and athletes. Brian Kelly is getting paid close to $10M/yr to coach at LSU, so I'm not losing any sleep if the discourse around him notes he contributed to the death of two people with nary a meaningful penalty paid by him.
August 17th, 2023 at 1:28 PM ^
I hear ya but why these things are usually posted on a message board and not during an actual conversation.
August 17th, 2023 at 3:17 PM ^
What a dumb ass post
Do better !
August 18th, 2023 at 3:02 AM ^
Recklessness that directly resulted in someone's death SHOULD be a millstone around Brian Kelley's neck until he pays some actual consequence.
August 18th, 2023 at 10:06 AM ^
Lol what? Kelly's recklessness got a kid killed and Kelly never received any punishment for it. The kid's family apparently didn't pursue any charges or damages, but can you imagine the public pushback they've would've received if they did from the ND community?
August 17th, 2023 at 12:23 PM ^
Blue - as we've discussed before - Kelly's doing some things in Baton Rouge - LSU is going to be a very tough out.
And - like you - I'm not a fan of Kelly's, but he knows football and can coach.
Right now - I think LSU will defeat FSU in the opener, I think LSU will beat Bama in Tuscaloosa, and - I'm wondering if LSU can defeat Georgia in a potential SEC CCG matchup.
What are you hearing locally?
August 17th, 2023 at 12:51 PM ^
I have similar thoughts. Don't like Kelly but he can coach. I'm going to take them over FSU and I don't think it will even be close. I'm going to predict LSU over Bama (too many questions about that Bama team), but Georgia over LSU in the SEC championship. But it should be a fun season down here.
The local news is always all-in on LSU football (though they did seem a bit weary of Kelly at first), so it's hard to separate true signals from noise . Apart from that, my only other info comes from my students or people I work with. Classes start next week, so it'll be interesting to see what they say. During my first class, I always offer my students extra-credit (very minor) if they can recite The Victors by the end of the semester. No one ever takes me up on that offer. 🤷♂️
August 17th, 2023 at 12:54 PM ^
Historically, picking against Saban is always wise. Well done.
August 17th, 2023 at 1:51 PM ^
Well, sure. Picking the modal outcome will typically give you the greatest chance of being correct. But we're not making uninformed guesses here.
Plus, I'm a college football fan that's just giving an opinion. I'm not making a decision on war or peace here.
August 17th, 2023 at 3:02 PM ^
Despite the LSU v Bama game taking place in Tuscaloosa - I like LSU's chances a LOT.
My gut says - year one of Tommy Rees as Bama's OC won't be as amazing as some think. LSU is going to open things up. LSU has an experienced QB and Bama doesn't. Though it's been a while - LSU has defeated Bama in Tuscaloosa before - and, my gut says they can to it again.
Bama will be LSU's 9th game of the season - the first weekend in November - obviously, a lot will happen between now and then - but Tiger fans have a right and reason to be optimistic.
August 17th, 2023 at 5:13 PM ^
I didn't realize Tantrum Tommy was at Bama. Now I can hate them to levels I never thought possible. Still, betting against Saban is never a good idea.
August 18th, 2023 at 6:43 AM ^
Is there a reason anyone thinks Rees will make a difference. I don't recall Notre Dame's offense doing anything special. It seemed like ND simply overpowered some inferior teams during his tenure.
August 17th, 2023 at 12:37 PM ^
This part of the quote from Kelly has to be incorrect: "It’s up to you all to figure that out, it’s not something that the staff..." He must have said "y'all" instead of "you all," given his deep Southern roots and famous Louisiana drawl...
August 17th, 2023 at 2:35 PM ^
All y'all, y'all.
August 17th, 2023 at 3:04 PM ^
Ahhhh yes... the plural of "Y'all".... "All Y'all"...
August 17th, 2023 at 4:00 PM ^
“Y’all” and “All Y’all” just work.
Sometimes you just have to give it up to better ways.
I’m not ready to concede “might could”.
August 17th, 2023 at 5:24 PM ^
How about "fixin' ta"? Or its even more casual cousin, "finta"?
August 17th, 2023 at 11:26 PM ^
It's finna
August 18th, 2023 at 8:30 AM ^
As someone who went to High School in the coalfields of far southwest Virginia I can confirm that Hillbilly is correct on this one.
August 17th, 2023 at 7:28 PM ^
That's the key point. Fights are indicative of a lack of control. The kind of control that's necessary when the game is tight and helps you keep your head and not do something that hurts the team like a stupid penalty.
August 17th, 2023 at 11:01 PM ^
This happens at every camp at every level of football since the game was invented
August 17th, 2023 at 12:14 PM ^
I remember this because I was (and to an extent remain) a big wrestling nerd but when Sanders was in Atlanta he used former WCW/WWE HOF wrestler Bill Goldberg to settle any disputes that involved Deion in the lockerroom. So yeah, shockingly Deion is a hypocrite about being involved in intrasquad disputes.
August 17th, 2023 at 3:03 PM ^
Deion's "you can all hate each other but just win" works when you have absurdly talented, competitive teams. Maybe with one of those 80's Miami teams or early 2000 USC teams or even Bama last decade it would create toughness and an edge.
When the team has middling at best talent, lack of unity will just cause the ship to sink faster.
TLDR: Different philosophies can work when winning and talented. Meh teams need comraderie to be their best.
August 17th, 2023 at 9:25 PM ^
Absolutely. Sanders is the definition of a front-runner and while I actually like the Buffs generally (objectively Stewart beating UM with that Hail Mary was an awesome college football moment), his involvement with them makes it harder to root for CU. I fully expect him to bolt from Colorado the moment he can, likely after a couple of okay seasons where he portals the hell out of a roster.
August 17th, 2023 at 11:54 PM ^
Objectively, that Kordell Stewart "moment" was absolutely the worst.
August 18th, 2023 at 3:20 PM ^
I have no recollection of anyone named "Stewart" having a "moment." It's childhood trauma repressed memory week at my therapist starting Monday; is this something I should bring up? I'm thinking no? 🤔
August 17th, 2023 at 12:17 PM ^
Deion is a fake tough guy.
August 17th, 2023 at 1:29 PM ^
I hear he's telling people he lost his toes in a gang fight.
August 17th, 2023 at 3:53 PM ^
Never trust a man who claims to be a leader but wears his social media tags all over his clothing, while coaching.
August 17th, 2023 at 12:18 PM ^
There would congressional hearings on it if Harbaugh did that.
August 17th, 2023 at 2:50 PM ^
"We had cheeseburgers, and it was CRAZY!!!"
August 17th, 2023 at 12:24 PM ^
It sounds to me like Deion is attempting to build a "team within a team" where the offense & defense operate independently of each other.
Is this the right way to do things? It's certainly not what we're used to see that's for sure.
Will it work? I have no freaking idea but then again, virtually nothing he's done so far is "normal" or traditional in his approach.
I'm kinda rooting for him to be honest. And Colorado football will be "must see TV" for me this fall no matter how their season goes.
August 17th, 2023 at 12:42 PM ^
I'll definitely follow Colorado, though - it may not be "must see" for me - since Colorado's opener conflicts directly with Michigan's. I am sure the after game festivities will have the tv on - looking for updates on how the Buffs debuted on the road against TCU. The current line is TCU by 20.5 - with an over/under of 59.5 - so - Vegas predicts a 40 -19'ish final score.
I won't be attending Michigan's second and third games - and - it looks like the combined schedules would allow a Michigan fan to watch both the Wolverines and Buffs games on those Saturdays.
My point of curiosity is - how well can Deion and the staff prep / execute against evenly matched, or more talented teams. At Jackson State - he / the team - was very successful. But, they also had a roster with FBS / P5 talent (according to 247's Team Talent Composite) playing against FCS schools.
It's going to be very interesting in Boulder. Enjoy...
August 17th, 2023 at 1:18 PM ^
Maybe this is part of a 2-step process. Get the D gelling as a unit against the only team they're facing right now - their own O. Do the same with the O. Once that's accomplished, transition the pride and cohesion from the individual units to the team.
August 17th, 2023 at 2:27 PM ^
He is that much a draw to you to make Colorado must see? That's wild to me. They are going to be like 3-9 or 4-8. And the instant he has two winning seasons in a row, he is immediately going to be gone to a bigger school. Why so much draw?
August 17th, 2023 at 3:48 PM ^
Deion is definitely must watch.
August 17th, 2023 at 7:51 PM ^
Living in Colorado and being a fan of CU I was excited at first. But wow he wore me thin quickly and I’m really sick of his antics. It’s all about him and I’m now to a point I hope he falls flat in his face
August 17th, 2023 at 12:31 PM ^
Colorado coach Deion Sanders takes great pride in his players being smart, tough, fast, disciplined and having strong character.
Doesn't sound like they're disciplined to me. The players should ALL be walking away from this, even in a real game. Yeah, things get heated, but fights end up with players getting ejected, and where does that leave the team? Without the tools they need to win.
August 17th, 2023 at 1:32 PM ^
I sort of get where he's coming from. There's a bit of "let them get it out of their system" at play which I don't necessarily disagree with. I do think there needs to be a time when you step in to break it up.
As for the players walking away, we're missing a ton of context. If he wants people to stand around and cheer on or fight with one or the other, that's messed up. If he wants them to step in to break it up, that's entirely different. Sounded like he was advocating for the former.
That said, I don't understand why he even brought it up.
August 18th, 2023 at 12:09 PM ^
If a few fights in camp means a football team isn't disciplined - then the only disciplined football teams play Pop Warner.
Every HS, college, and NFL team has these fights. Every one.
August 18th, 2023 at 3:51 PM ^
I coached in HS and we never had these fights. We won back-to-back district titles.
August 19th, 2023 at 11:58 AM ^
Did you watch the "fight"?
You never had a few guys pushing and shoving?