Rat Poison

[36bfM@$NJ9HtEy#]

Nick Saban made the phrase famous. The point was not to get sucked into thinking about something that might even be true. And it IS true we COULD make the playoffs.

However, my concern is that Coach Stein continues to do the same thing he's been doing. Keeping the team thinking they have something to prove EVERY next game.

To make SURE the team doesn't start thinking ahead, about what might happen and get distracted by all the potential we could be a playoff team talk.

PART of Stein's greatness is that he's a play the next play coach, and doesn't think (and makes his team believe they can't think) about what might happen or what did happen, but just what needs to be done on the next play.

My respect for Stein is already though the roof (and, yes Aaron Torres, the roof is not the ceiling).

The only way we become a playoff team is to keep winning games. And the way to keep winning is to take them one at a time, and NEVER letting the chip fall off our shoulder.

The TEAM has NOT arrived, YET. And if the TEAM starts thinking we have, then the TEAM just ate the Rat Poison.

 

[UKCowboys]

Nick Saban made the phrase famous. The point was not to get sucked into thinking about something that might even be true. And it IS true we COULD make the playoffs.

However, my concern is that Coach Stein continues to do the same thing he's been doing. Keeping the team thinking they have something to prove EVERY next game.

To make SURE the team doesn't start thinking ahead, about what might happen and get distracted by all the potential we could be a playoff team talk.

PART of Stein's greatness is that he's a play the next play coach, and doesn't think (and makes his team believe they can't think) about what might happen or what did happen, but just what needs to be done on the next play.

My respect for Stein is already though the roof (and, yes Aaron Torres, the roof is not the ceiling).

The only way we become a playoff team is to keep winning games. And the way to keep winning is to take them one at a time, and NEVER letting the chip fall off our shoulder.

We have NOT arrived, YET. And if we start thinking we have, then we just ate the Rat Poison.

Part of Steins "greatness"? You already bought it Bro

 

[36bfM@$NJ9HtEy#]

Part of Steins "greatness"? You already bought it Bro

That's not eating the rat poison. Eating rat poison only has to do with what distracts someone on the team who can actually affect how the team plays, moving forward. And that aint me. I'm a random fan just posting random posts.

So, if you're right, and I've already eaten the rat poison myself stating some things about Stein make him great, I'm still not going to be on the field next game in Oklahoma. So, I can believe all kinds of stuff that's true or nonsense, and it won't have anything to do with the TEAM.

And that makes my point either way just as valid. Because anyone (me or some other poster) talking about his being great on this board, is only rat poison IF somebody on the team were influenced by it. That's never going to happen.

What is happening and what could become rat poison is what national or media is saying.

 

[Smeegs]

Part of Steins "greatness"? You already bought it Bro

I had the same thought reading that. Presuming a coach’s “greatness” before he’s even coached half a season sounds a lot like the sort of thinking Saban was talking about.

I seem to recall some folks ready to declare Pope’s greatness after he knocked off Duke and Gonzaga in the first half of his first season. Now those same folks wanna run him out of town.

 

[36bfM@$NJ9HtEy#]

I had the same thought reading that. Presuming a coach’s “greatness” before he’s even coached half a season sounds a lot like the sort of thinking Saban was talking about.

I seem to recall some folks ready to declare Pope’s greatness after he knocked off Duke and Gonzaga in the first half of his first season. Now those same folks wanna run him out of town.

I can see how my original statements in my OP every time I was saying "we" regarding eating it made it look like I was talking about fans instead of the team. My "we" was my reference to "we" and "us" as in refence to our team.

So, it makes sense people who read it as originally worded, would conclude I've already eaten the rat poison, because saying "we" was making it sound like it was about us -- the fans. And saying I think Stein is already great (which I DO believe), makes me guilty.

Mea Culpa.

Anyway, now I edited the OP to say "the TEAM" everywhere I'd said "we".

And yes, you're right that FANS like me ate the rat poison with your example about Pope.

Unfortunately, I don't think the players on the basketball TEAM are NOW in any danger of eating it, And I don't think Pope is in danger or realizing how to motivate his team so it actually COULD become a problem for the Team because of how they've become so great and lots in the national media are expecting them to win a title.

And I hope things change this year, so that it will become an issue, because I'd love to see the potential for Eating the Rat poison become an isue for the BB Team, too.

 

[bigblueinsanity (the real)]

Rat poison is usually in the context of facing a lesser opponent. Wont have that worry this week because we'll be considered underdogs.

Now if we win, next week vs vandy is a risk but them being really good the last few years should help with that.

 

[MdWIldcat55]

"Oklahoma will be overconfident, having just beaten Texas, and will be due for a let down." (They ate the Rat Poison.)

"Kentucky will start believing talk about Playoffs after two OT wins, one against LSU, and will come out flat." (They ate the Rat Poison.)

All these kinds of posts -- and the commentary of so called 'sports journalists' that follow the same tropes -- are just fans dealing with their nervousness and doubts by 'predicting' a feared outcome and thus dispelling it, or in the case of 'journalists' tapping into that as click bait.

Players may have these idle thoughts, but it all evaporates in the first minute of a game, and it comes down to preparation, talent, match-ups and all the real stuff -- not pseudo-psychology.

 

[BellyBall]

I think +6.5 is the right spread. I also think it helps Stein continue his everyone doubts us, like the College GameDay image from last week. Whatever works, use it.

 

[Johnnie Africa]

"Oklahoma will be overconfident, having just beaten Texas, and will be due for a let down." (They ate the Rat Poison.)

"Kentucky will start believing talk about Playoffs after two OT wins, one against LSU, and will come out flat." (They ate the Rat Poison.)

All these kinds of posts -- and the commentary of so called 'sports journalists' that follow the same tropes -- are just fans dealing with their nervousness and doubts by 'predicting' a feared outcome and thus dispelling it, or in the case of 'journalists' tapping into that as click bait.

Players may have these idle thoughts, but it all evaporates in the first minute of a game, and it comes down to preparation, talent, match-ups and all the real stuff -- not pseudo-psychology.

Thank you. The melodrama behind sports lol. It’s not that deep, it’s football.

 

[Seth_C]

Undoubtedly you know better how to motivate the team and are rightly concerned to be worried enough to write a novella compared to the dude who has lead Kentucky to its best start in school history. For sure. You aren't insane at all.

 

[bpsteve1972]

Stein is off to a great start! Keep the "train rolling".