Brad Lester...not having fun.From middle school through high school, my football team had one of the most talented around. A good number of those guys received full rides from Division 1 schools, with one of them ending his career in the NFL. Several others played at 1AA schools, and one or two received scholarships in other sports. There was no doubt that we had some athletes, but we could never really get things going. Everything fell flat at game time.
Pregame was the same every week. We weren't allowed to go home after school. We had to sit around the gym or locker room...quietly. In between playing cards and/or taking a nap, different groups would briefly meet with their coaches to watch film, or go over last minute game notes. We would eat our pregame meal in silence, and file into buses.
We were never allowed to talk on the bus rides to wherever we were playing. The coaches always said that we were supposed to use this time to think about the game. I always dreaded the bus rides. Not a single noise was heard but the bus's engine. I could drink two pots of coffee and still struggle to stay awake in that situation.
After arriving to the field, we would walk to one end zone and then the other without saying a word. We'd put our shoulder pads and helmets on in the locker room and head out to stretch and warm up. We weren't allowed to talk while stretching.
Back in the locker room, we'd huddle around. The coach would give a speech about how every game is important. They always read the same poem in monotone before the Lord's Prayer.
After the Lord's Prayer, it was always something along the lines of, "Alright, you ready to get pumped!?!? You ready to win this thing!?!"
To this day, I don't understand the "pregame logic" of these coaches. I'm not sure how it is/was at other schools, but this is not the way to go about things. We were lulled to sleep for several hours then expected to get pumped up five or ten minutes to kickoff. Not only were we lulled to sleep, but the constant silence never did anything but build tension. This was nothing but a recipe for disaster.
What does this have to do with this past weekend? Look at Georgia. I think one of the main reasons they've turned a corner is because Richt is allowing his players to have fun. The result is a more relaxed team. The result is a a team that's pumped up and full of energy throughout the game. Some people may not agree with his tactics, but the results speak volumes.
You can say that Auburn lost b/c Cox reverted to Mr. Hyde, because our DBs can't cover man-to-man if their life depended on it, or because Tuberville was preoccupied during the week. Whatever the case may be, I think everyone can agree that Auburn's play was completely lackadaisical.
I don't know what goes on during Auburn's pregame. Over the past few years, there have been several games where Auburn came out playing like they had just woken up from a coma. This year, their disappointing performances were against Kansas State, USF, MSU, and Georgia. Auburn was outscored in the first quarter of those games 30 to 6.
The results are similar when looking at last year's games against Arkansas and Georgia, where Auburn was outscored 17 to 0 in the first quarter.
The year before that? 20 to 0 in games against Georgia Tech and Wisconsin.
Even going back as far as 2003, it's evident that Auburn has trouble getting up for some games. That year, they were outscored a whopping 37 to 0 in games against USC, Georgia Tech, LSU and Georgia.
I think you get the point. Something about Auburn's pregame needs to change. If you've seen footage of Tuberville before games, it's evident that he isn't much of a motivational speaker. Perhaps he needs to hire someone on that is. Too bad this guy isn't around any more.
Pregame was the same every week. We weren't allowed to go home after school. We had to sit around the gym or locker room...quietly. In between playing cards and/or taking a nap, different groups would briefly meet with their coaches to watch film, or go over last minute game notes. We would eat our pregame meal in silence, and file into buses.
We were never allowed to talk on the bus rides to wherever we were playing. The coaches always said that we were supposed to use this time to think about the game. I always dreaded the bus rides. Not a single noise was heard but the bus's engine. I could drink two pots of coffee and still struggle to stay awake in that situation.
After arriving to the field, we would walk to one end zone and then the other without saying a word. We'd put our shoulder pads and helmets on in the locker room and head out to stretch and warm up. We weren't allowed to talk while stretching.
Back in the locker room, we'd huddle around. The coach would give a speech about how every game is important. They always read the same poem in monotone before the Lord's Prayer.
After the Lord's Prayer, it was always something along the lines of, "Alright, you ready to get pumped!?!? You ready to win this thing!?!"
To this day, I don't understand the "pregame logic" of these coaches. I'm not sure how it is/was at other schools, but this is not the way to go about things. We were lulled to sleep for several hours then expected to get pumped up five or ten minutes to kickoff. Not only were we lulled to sleep, but the constant silence never did anything but build tension. This was nothing but a recipe for disaster.
What does this have to do with this past weekend? Look at Georgia. I think one of the main reasons they've turned a corner is because Richt is allowing his players to have fun. The result is a more relaxed team. The result is a a team that's pumped up and full of energy throughout the game. Some people may not agree with his tactics, but the results speak volumes.
You can say that Auburn lost b/c Cox reverted to Mr. Hyde, because our DBs can't cover man-to-man if their life depended on it, or because Tuberville was preoccupied during the week. Whatever the case may be, I think everyone can agree that Auburn's play was completely lackadaisical.
I don't know what goes on during Auburn's pregame. Over the past few years, there have been several games where Auburn came out playing like they had just woken up from a coma. This year, their disappointing performances were against Kansas State, USF, MSU, and Georgia. Auburn was outscored in the first quarter of those games 30 to 6.
The results are similar when looking at last year's games against Arkansas and Georgia, where Auburn was outscored 17 to 0 in the first quarter.
The year before that? 20 to 0 in games against Georgia Tech and Wisconsin.
Even going back as far as 2003, it's evident that Auburn has trouble getting up for some games. That year, they were outscored a whopping 37 to 0 in games against USC, Georgia Tech, LSU and Georgia.
I think you get the point. Something about Auburn's pregame needs to change. If you've seen footage of Tuberville before games, it's evident that he isn't much of a motivational speaker. Perhaps he needs to hire someone on that is. Too bad this guy isn't around any more.
2 comments:
Great blog.
And I completely understand where you're coming from in terms of "pre-game" mental preparations: my high school coaches were identical to yours. And the results were always nightmarish.
That being said, I don't think that is the problem with Auburn. I've been on the field with them before and during several games. Last year, for example, and 90 minutes before the Auburn/Florida contest, Auburn players were walking the field in sweats, goofing off, listening to their i-pods, etc. David Irons had a roll of tape and would sneak up behind King Dunlap, place a strip on his baby-fro and rip it off..much to the delight of his brother and Brad Lester.
Meanwhile, at the other end of the field, the Gators we're wearing matching workout jumpsuits and were all business. No smiles. No laughter. Just stony silence.
And you'll remember we won that game by 10 pts? :c)
I have no idea what Tubs had them do before the Georgia game. But I seriously doubt it was much different.
I've come to terms with this loss.
Here's how: UGA looked all world last weekend, but a few weeks before, they had their asses handed to them by Tennessee, the same way we had ours handed to us this past weekend. It has just been THAT kind of year. Everyone has gotten a butt-kicking this year. Last week it was our turn.
Keep your chin up. We'll bounce back.
We always do.
War Eagle!
Reynolds Wolf
CNN
Do you know if their pregame different each week? It just seems like they're totally flat some weeks. I can understand not getting up to play out of conference games, but Georgia?
Every team has their wacky losses this year, and most years for that matter. It just seems that when Tuberville drops one, he really drops one.
Don't worry about me not keeping my chin up. I love Auburn, but I don't live and die by what they do on the football field.
There was a commercial several years ago that compared fans with fanatics. The fanatic was screaming insults and whatnot at his own team after a mistake. The fan was saying stuff like, "We'll get them next time. Let's go!" I can't remember what it was advertising, but it does hold true. I'm definitely a fan.
And you're right about bouncing back. Just look at all of the contributing freshmen and sophomores out there. The future looks very bright on the plains!
Excellent comment, and thanks for stopping by. War Eagle!
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