STrib: U coach mostly wants to win at mind game


"Guys are beating themselves up a little bit about how it's going. Our mentality was not enough to get the job done," Kirksey said. "It's time to dig deep. You have to decide whether you want to be here or not. The coaches can see it, we can see it, and pretty soon you weed out the people who don't want to be here, who don't want to invest themselves in the program, who don't want to win. We've had guys [in the past] who are pretty content with losing, and you don't want to have those guys on the field with you."

That is exactly what Kill is trying to do. At least one player gets it. Get on board or get out. Completely agree.
 

How do you get players to buy in for the fifth time?

Every coach brings something new, every coach asks for commitment, every coach asks them to believe just one more time. Sooner or later you just get tired.
 

The fact is you don't get them to buy in for the fifth time easily. The program needs consistency. I hate what is happening now and I have been putting up with it for 42 years. But Kill gets 5 years to get this turned around. Minnesotans want to fire everybody. As soon as we stop supporting the coach how is he supposed to recruit competitiviely? The answer is he can't because his compitition will use all of the negative press against him very effectively.

This assumes that he is healthy enough to do it. The fact is, the turn around can not be executed by a part time head coach. I love Kill but we would not have hired his assistants to lead our program without him. He needs to take care of himself and he needs to be on the job every day to make this work.
 

How do you get players to buy in for the fifth time?

Every coach brings something new, every coach asks for commitment, every coach asks them to believe just one more time. Sooner or later you just get tired.

I suspect that's a good part of the reason why we're seeing a lot of frosh getting thrown out there to sink or swim while some of the upperclassmen sink in the depth charts.
 


The players who have been in the program for five years and have experienced all these changes in coaches, assistants, coordinators, schemes and philosophies are the victims of those who have fired the coaches, hired the coaches and have been in power for those five seasons and longer. The current coach is also a victim of these people who have orchestrated, overseen and pulled the strings during the past five years and longer. No one can ignore the facts. Those who call all the shots and make the moves are also the very people who are responsible for the outcomes. In football, it is so easy to see the results of what has been done. Those who hire and those who fire and those who buy out head coaches are MUCH more powerful and responsible than any head coach could ever be. A head coach ONLY has the power to resign from that head coaching position. Those who hire the head coach...fire the head coach...buy out the contract of the head coach are ultimately and completely responsible for everything that happens within the football program. For every action...there is a reaction. Isolate those who have the power and you can identify who has the responsibility.

Good luck to Coach Kill.
 

"Guys are beating themselves up a little bit about how it's going. Our mentality was not enough to get the job done," Kirksey said. "It's time to dig deep. You have to decide whether you want to be here or not. The coaches can see it, we can see it, and pretty soon you weed out the people who don't want to be here, who don't want to invest themselves in the program, who don't want to win. We've had guys [in the past] who are pretty content with losing, and you don't want to have those guys on the field with you."

That is exactly what Kill is trying to do. At least one player gets it. Get on board or get out. Completely agree.

I wonder if the Kill bashers also think Kirksey should leave the team. He is really throwing his teammates under the bus here isn't he? Perhaps he should stop blaming the other players and take responsibility himself.

....or is it just maybe possible that Kill's description of the team is accurat e and not simply making excuses.
 

How do you get players to buy in for the fifth time?

Every coach brings something new, every coach asks for commitment, every coach asks them to believe just one more time. Sooner or later you just get tired.

Because they won't be here if they don't commit! It is unfortunate that the older players had to go through all those turmoils, but that doesn't give them a pass to quit trying. Life is not fair, but you have to make the best of what you got.
 




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