I can make an analogy to my profession. Im a cook/chef. I lead a team of cooks into battle nightly. Im supportive, dont yell and scream, never belittle. Because of that, sometimes, I come across as weak. Im a cooks chef (like a players coach). Dont cross me, but even still, I dont present as a hard ass. I have worked for, respected, and hated, many chefs who yell, scream, belittle, and decry as a management style. However, they are effective leaders, too. Ive learned SO MUCH from these types of people. Its part of the business. Id love to see the paradigm switch, and I believe it slowly is (the stereotype of the ranting raving chef), but for as much as I hated being treated the way I was being treated early in my career, it not only made me better, but it also informed me on how Id like to someday manage. I chose to go the opposite route. Im supremely happy with the decision, but believe me, there are times when I wish I could be like BA and let it rip. Because it works.
The whole point is, you dont like his management style. I get that. And Im wholly supportive of that it. What I take issue with is your constant conjecture. Offer these awesome pieces you write as opinions. "I cant help but wonder if perhaps his methodologies with the rooks might be doing more harm than good..." is far easier to digest than "BA's rookies are nervous wrecks ." If you werent so informed about football or didnt write so well, Id probably just block you. But I LOVE reading your stuff. I get frustrated with your posts when your passion takes over, and generally then only when its negative, because I can ALWAYS get behind the rah rah stuff!
Anyhow, keep the content coming! Im tuly appreciative to be able to read your thoughts.
I really like your head cook analogy---I worked my way through college waiting tables and worked for nice guy chefs and chefs who have stood by the broiler too long. The French chef at a 5 star restaurant in NY where I worked was a constant screamer---and no one liked him. It didn't make us better waiters or his kitchen staff better preparers. It just made everyone work on edge. But, it was all behind the scenes---the patrons loved the food and the ambience, so that's why the restaurant was so successful. But again, he could have been respectful and it wouldn't have spoiled the zuppa de pesche, sp to speak.
You had a great attitude about learning from the screamers---but not all people do. I teach high schoolers and today there are far fewer students I can motivate through tough love---most of the students react well to constructive criticism, mingled with incentives. It's just a different world of parenting these days. Back when I was coaching, I had a varsity basketball team one year that was very talented, but a bunch of slackers in practice. I was in their faces every day and rode them like no other team I ever coached. I even managed to get the prima donna ball hogs to play team ball---and the team won 23 straight games, beat the #24 ranked team in USA Today twice, and then in the New England Championship game, one of the ball hogs decided he was going to put on a show for a college scout and started chucking up shots, and the team lost by 3, to finish 23-1.
After the season ended---I overheard a player on my team tell a friend of his that it was great winning 23 straight games and winning the league---but, he said, too bad the coach was an a#$hole.
That really stuck with me and I had a big decision to make---was it worth my players not liking me? Was it worth some players losing the joy of the game?
So the next year, I decided to make sure that the experience was exciting and fun for all the players. I made that my goal. It wasn't as talented a team as the year before, we didn't win the league, but we did qualify at the #7 seed in the New England Championships. And, honestly, I loved watching the passion that those kids played with---and i really loved that they showed a new appreciation for me.
What I am worried about for BA's sake is that he is overlooking how important respect is in dealing with those around him. If he ever learned to pay the refs and all of his players with the same respect he affords to his assistant coaches, then I believe he not only will he and the players enjoy the experience more, they will have a better chance to win. Morale, respect and a passion for the game are everything.
Now---that doesn't mean there shouldn't be tough love when it is needed---but do it man to man, face to face, respectfully and not through the media.
I appreciate your critique of my post. My remark about the rookies "playing like nervous wrecks" was based on what my eyes have told me. Brandon Williams looks exceptionally nervous to me---of course he was thrown in there way too soon. And Robert Nkemdiche looks like a ball of nerves. All of the other rookies haven't garnered any playing time---but it does not speak particularly well that Boehm hasn't yet overtaken a so-so Shipley at center, nor that the coaches are starting Tyler Boggs (cut, signed to PS and recently promoted to the 53 man roster) ahead of Cole Toner.
Worst of all, is how BA&SK gave away the 5th round pick, Marqui Christian, which looks even worse now that Jefferson and Swearinger are UFAs and Tyvon Branch has been injured and not very good when he has played---and seeing Honey Badger did not take to playing FS well---and even this past week a lack of depth forced them to play Golden Brittan at FS in the game, having never taken a snap there.
It's a tough year to watch no rookies make any kind of a splash on the Cardinals while the Cowboys, for example, are winning with two MVP candidate rookies.
BA recently said that he no longer expects any rookies to play in their first year. Again---wtf. Sorry if this offends BA proponents, but for an NFL head coach to say this during the salary cap era is just plain obtuse.
