Coach Leach's comment about the kickers.....
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It’s not a good look for the leader of your organization. Handle it behind closed doors.
If you want a contrasting approach…how many times has saban had kicking problems at bama? And how many times has he made snarky comments about it afterwards?
It would be one thing if the players were being idiots and screwed up by making dumb decisions but that’s not the case here.
If you want a contrasting approach…how many times has saban had kicking problems at bama? And how many times has he made snarky comments about it afterwards?
It would be one thing if the players were being idiots and screwed up by making dumb decisions but that’s not the case here.
Complete bush league move... 1) throw your own team member under the bus 2) you are supposed to be an offensive genius so why did you even need FGs? 3) It's just a complete *******, douche move to find blame there. Don't ever cry about fans again because this was worse than any fan comment ever. 4) performance or lack thereof is a reflection of coaching... so if you say you don't have a player suitable for the position, YOU failed as a coach. not the player who didn't perform in the position.
I think McCord is a walk on… so maybe not criticizing in public would be the right call… but also people were saying they wanted to see more passion out of Leach as well.
I can't help but think that Jace Chritman is smirking and thinking, "how do you feel about replacing me with some transfer kicker now?"
Leach has called his team out in the media for years. This is not really a new thing with him. He's also done the open tryout thing with kickers before. He had a kicker at Texas Tech that joined the team after participating in one of those halftime punt-pass-kick contests.
He’s 3/6 this year so hopefully not smirking. I was going into this season expecting Ruiz to be a legit NFL guy
If Ruiz took himself out for the last kick, then it's fine. We don't have the kicker we thought we were going to have, our backup is a walkon freshman, even if he had made the last second fieldgoal, we probably need a new kicker to back up Mccord.
If Leach took Ruiz out for the last kick, it's ******. You don't bench a successful kicker to give a walkon freshman a chance at what would be their career long, and then call for kicker tryouts when your snapper and/or holder are the ones that screwed up the last second kick.
It's exactly the look I want for the leader of this organization. This team needs mental toughness and this is how you build it.
Missed kicks have had direct impacts on three of our losses this year. He waited until the third time to say something, so he showed restraint. But this is him making sure these guys know that it's time to be good or be gone. That's how it is in the real world. Let's not overcomplicate this - it's not difficult to kick a FG - especially a 23 yarder - for someone who is on scholarship to kick fieldgoals. I have a little more sympathy for McCord because he was put in a tough spot at the end, but the point still remains: these guys aren't being asked to split atoms out there - their one job is to kick the ball through the uprights, like they've done a million times.
I have no issues with Leach calling them out. If I were them I'd have no problem with him calling me out - because I am not afraid to be held accountable. That's one of the biggest things a team has to be - accountable to each other, and that's true for any team, not just sports teams.
So the snowflake BS about participation trophies and "at least you tried" gold stars, and post game snacks and hugs need to be gone. Do your job or lose your job, period. This is the best advice and life coaching these kids are ever gonna receive if they're willing to learn from it.
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I don't have a problem with it. If you're over 18 and can go to war and get your
head blown off, you ought to be man enough to take criticism when you fail at your job. The last thing I want to see is coddling. You saw where that got us in the past. The only way State will ever compete in football is thru mental toughness. I can't fault a coach for trying to build some.
head blown off, you ought to be man enough to take criticism when you fail at your job. The last thing I want to see is coddling. You saw where that got us in the past. The only way State will ever compete in football is thru mental toughness. I can't fault a coach for trying to build some.
Ruiz was injured earlier in the year. Are we sure he is not still hurting? I know nothing. I tried kicking for awhile and didn't have the leg for it but kicking hurt is like trying to play golf when you are hurting. It's dang hard to follow through properly if it hurts to swing.
Here are my thoughts....
To me it all boils down to this. Does such a comment help the team. If if does not then you don't do it even if it really doesn't hurt the team. I don't think it does help the team because I think it potentially erodes a bit of trust, not just with the kickers but the whole team. Not much mind you. Not enough I don't think to seriously impact performance, but even so, why say something like that it if it does not help especially in an open press conference.
To me it all boils down to this. Does such a comment help the team. If if does not then you don't do it even if it really doesn't hurt the team. I don't think it does help the team because I think it potentially erodes a bit of trust, not just with the kickers but the whole team. Not much mind you. Not enough I don't think to seriously impact performance, but even so, why say something like that it if it does not help especially in an open press conference.
Exactly......these guys have ONE JOB! That's it. To kick the football. And the NFL goal posts are not as wide. A coach once told me that it's not easy but kicker have only one job to do and that is all they practice doing. No reads, no plays and check-offs, no zone reads. You just have to kick the football between the uprights.
Nobody performs perfectly all the time. But we left NINE points on the field Saturday. All we had to do was make 2/3. Coach Leach is right to do what he is doing. Let's the team AND the fans know that this is not acceptable.
Nobody performs perfectly all the time. But we left NINE points on the field Saturday. All we had to do was make 2/3. Coach Leach is right to do what he is doing. Let's the team AND the fans know that this is not acceptable.
He was hurt, and when he first came back, he wasn't kicking off and his FG attempts didn't have much on them, but he looks healthy now. He's kicking the ball off into the endzone and he struck balls well the other night. He's just got the yips and he's had them for a couple of weeks. He missed a FG and almost missed an extra point against Kentucky. This is why I don't have an issue with Leach trying to get his attention....he's too good to be this bad.
Pretend you're Tyrus Wheat. You've been in the trenches gutting it out all game.
Pretend you're Woody Marks. You've been taking punishment and left blood and sweat all over the field.
Pretend you're Will Rogers. You took the team 75 yards in 20 seconds to set up a game tying field goal.
Do you really think these guys are going to be put off by Leach's comment? His comment was for those guys. You don't lose a locker room for making comments like Leach made. You lose a locker room for not making comments like Leach made. Not only does it help, but it's necessary.
Leach, as usual, is busy pointing a finger when he should be pointing a thumb. Pisspoor coaching and leadership.
I'll take "Things a guy who's never played sports before would say" for $200, Alex.
Lou Holtz did it at Notre Dame..
He had members of the soccer team tryout the week of one of those "Catholics Vs. Convicts" matchups with Florida State in the early 90's.
He had members of the soccer team tryout the week of one of those "Catholics Vs. Convicts" matchups with Florida State in the early 90's.
Him being a walk-on doesn’t give him protected status. Can’t handle the pressure? Then don’t sign up to kick.
I guess it depends on if there are actually open tryouts today. If you cut the kicker and then actually have the tryouts and have a new kicker next Saturday, that's hardcore. It sends a real message.
If it's just a headline shifting the blame of the loss to the kickers instead of the whole team and there are no actual open tryouts, that's a ***** move.
If it's just a headline shifting the blame of the loss to the kickers instead of the whole team and there are no actual open tryouts, that's a ***** move.
Sure- hold open tryouts. Leach and staff are the ones who havent recruited players good enough to succeed to their standards, so a late season scramble to magically find someone is the logical thing to do.***
Example 523 why recruiting and development of the kicking game needs to have a greater emphasis. It is absolutely insane that so many kickers are last minute additions, barely recognized by recruiting sites, etc. They are a throw away position up to the point when they are needed to win/lose a game and then suddenly they are vital.
Example 523 why recruiting and development of the kicking game needs to have a greater emphasis. It is absolutely insane that so many kickers are last minute additions, barely recognized by recruiting sites, etc. They are a throw away position up to the point when they are needed to win/lose a game and then suddenly they are vital.
Coaching and execution are two different things. I see a lot of good things technique wise, and a lot of poor things execution-wise. We've had special teams issues all year and the special teams coach has to be accountable for that. But coaching had nothing to do with Brandon Ruiz missing a 23 yard field goal. Sometimes you have to tell someone to nut up and do their job.
I guarundamntee you that Leach had players fist pumping in the locker room when he said that.
He might lose a kicker or two but he damn sure won't lose the locker room.
This!!! That’s why Peyton Manning made remarks publicly about the “idiot kicker”. The men who are leaving everything out on the field are not worried about some kickers feelings. The just want them to do their job as well.
[FONT="]Seriously. If a comment such as that was enough to make a player sulk for more than a few minutes, I would question their makeup anyway.[/FONT]
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[FONT="]This would inspire me to prove them wrong and work harder, but I also was never into participation trophies either.[/FONT]
In my opinion the only mistake Leach made was putting the Freshman in on the last kick. That moment was just too big for him.
The people who already don’t like Leach will think it’s terrible and uncalled for. The people who already like Leach will love it. I don’t have a problem with it. It might light a fire under our kickers and get them to perform better. A couple years ago, Coach O blasted his kicker and said they might not kick anymore that season. The next game, the kid made three field goals and helped them beat Auburn by four. Kicking is a mind game. Leach is giving them a kick in the *** to get them going. We’ll see if it works.
It’s a dick move if he doesn’t actually hold the tryouts and it was just blowing off steam. If he does hold the tryouts and we land a former high school kicker or soccer player who is money from 30 yards in, more power to him. My guess is that it’s the latter.
Devon Bell put his thoughts out there:
https://twitter.com/devonbbell/status/1457159171741192193?s=20
[TWEET]1457159171741192193[/TWEET]
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This is exactly what it is: mind games. Putting guys on notice that there are expectations.
I watch the kickers a lot in pregame and on the sidelines. There's a lot of goofing off, a lot of lackadaisical silliness, and general grabassery. Now, you can point to coaching for that....and maybe Brock is too consumed with Linebackers or whatever to be kicking *** with the specialists and getting their minds right. But kickers have unique personalities too and part of their makeup has to be self-motivation and wanting all the smoke in a big situation. The truth is that they're going to get all the smoke whether they want it or not, and Leach is reminding them of that.
I bet Ruiz is a different kicker next week.