InsideLB
Helluva Engineer
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- 1,896
This is something I've been thinking about, and which I believe needs to be said:
Last year was a tough season, with a tough schedule, lots of injuries, and a roster on which nearly 1 in 3 scholarship players were true freshmen. On the field the breaks often went against us at key times. We lost several games that could have gone either way/by a small margin. And yet the team consistently fought hard in the second half--long after many fans had turned the game off.
We've all heard "character is what you do when no one is watching." It says a lot that our guys continued to fight hard in games like ND & Clemson, scoring multiple times against good teams on the road in the second half. You can say those teams took their foot off the gas, put in their second string, etc., and that this accounted for such performance. I'm telling you though even if these teams did play some second teamers,those guys were highly regarded prospects. And in that situation they are fired up to get to play at home in front of family and friends. There is blood in the water and it's a party atmosphere. Confidence is high and they are ready to show the fans/family/teammates/coaches what they can do.
I personally know what it's like to come in and play in that exact situation and just DESTROY a team. The other team is demoralized and it's easy to make them look silly. Last year GT would have none of that, and continued to play hard. The games got tighter, not out of control.
I do not say this to say there are moral victories. There aren't. I am proud of the way we fought. I am also proud of the way we prepared over the summer and how many players changed their bodies. I don't recall seeing that before. Similarly coaches were actually happy with how we were practicing this summer. Guys are doing everything they can to control the variables they can control. They are taking care of business.
The other thing I see besides hard work on and off-the-field is that our guys are getting it done in the classroom, and not only are they not getting in trouble off-the-field, you can see from the player interviews that these are thoughtful, articulate, no-BS guys. They are awesome. These are guys I am proud of, and that as a fan I love.
I don't know what's going to happen this season in terms of wins and losses. I'm sure there will be times when I'm upset, have had some adult beverage, and I want to get emotional and throw players under the bus. If you see me doing this call me on it. Because I know this bunch is not going to quit fighting. I know that when they die people will have to cut their jaws out of the throats of their enemies.
These are guys I'd go to war with and they will have my love and respect as long as they continue to fight to the death. I see and respect you guys for your hard work and character. It's awesome to behold.
Last year was a tough season, with a tough schedule, lots of injuries, and a roster on which nearly 1 in 3 scholarship players were true freshmen. On the field the breaks often went against us at key times. We lost several games that could have gone either way/by a small margin. And yet the team consistently fought hard in the second half--long after many fans had turned the game off.
We've all heard "character is what you do when no one is watching." It says a lot that our guys continued to fight hard in games like ND & Clemson, scoring multiple times against good teams on the road in the second half. You can say those teams took their foot off the gas, put in their second string, etc., and that this accounted for such performance. I'm telling you though even if these teams did play some second teamers,those guys were highly regarded prospects. And in that situation they are fired up to get to play at home in front of family and friends. There is blood in the water and it's a party atmosphere. Confidence is high and they are ready to show the fans/family/teammates/coaches what they can do.
I personally know what it's like to come in and play in that exact situation and just DESTROY a team. The other team is demoralized and it's easy to make them look silly. Last year GT would have none of that, and continued to play hard. The games got tighter, not out of control.
I do not say this to say there are moral victories. There aren't. I am proud of the way we fought. I am also proud of the way we prepared over the summer and how many players changed their bodies. I don't recall seeing that before. Similarly coaches were actually happy with how we were practicing this summer. Guys are doing everything they can to control the variables they can control. They are taking care of business.
The other thing I see besides hard work on and off-the-field is that our guys are getting it done in the classroom, and not only are they not getting in trouble off-the-field, you can see from the player interviews that these are thoughtful, articulate, no-BS guys. They are awesome. These are guys I am proud of, and that as a fan I love.
I don't know what's going to happen this season in terms of wins and losses. I'm sure there will be times when I'm upset, have had some adult beverage, and I want to get emotional and throw players under the bus. If you see me doing this call me on it. Because I know this bunch is not going to quit fighting. I know that when they die people will have to cut their jaws out of the throats of their enemies.
These are guys I'd go to war with and they will have my love and respect as long as they continue to fight to the death. I see and respect you guys for your hard work and character. It's awesome to behold.
