Humbleness. If you talk to some former players, staffers, other teams staffs, HS coaches and some recruits, they will tell you during Harbaughs tenure quite a few staffers operated under a sense of arrogance. Now so people don’t get upset we can talk about how that arrogance affected the program and how this new staffs humbleness and blue collar mentality both differs and will improve culture. So how can arrogance affect a staff? Well let’s start with stubbornness. When you’re so sure of yourself and method at times you fall into a stubbornness and refuse to evolve. For example if we look back at not changing defensive keys, calls and terminology for three years and other teams being able to know what defense we were running. Another, asking guards and centers to have pulling assignments they just weren’t capable of. Running long developing plays when short and quick hitters are asking to be run.
Another example of arrogance hurting the team is the I can run my system with whoever thought process. This causes a failure to address glaring holes on the roster because you want to prove people wrong, hello again Don Brown. It also caused for a BS meritocracy where you were rewarded for time in program as opposed to skill and performance. I’m sorry if it’s year five and you suck you should be behind the guy who’s year one or two and a stud.
Another area it’s hurt in the past is laziness. First area of laziness for some was on the recruiting trail. Some former members of staff took the Michigan sells itself thing and basically sat on their ass doing minimal recruiting. Examples of this are the constant loss of contact we saw under the previous staff. Or the I’ll just get an under the radar type who might be good, because I don’t want to fight for the kid I know is good since it’s more work. Laziness also hurt game planning. The team often slacked in game plans and installs when they didn’t feel it was needed. See close calls against teams like a bad army team and others.
Arrogance has also caused rifts between staff as well as between staff and players. Some staff members were getting pissed at how a couple people who aren’t with the team anymore treated everyone else. It was very I’m better than you and don’t give a shit what you have to say. Or I’m gonna overstep my lane and undermine/sabotage the guy over me because I just don’t like him. Last year in two occasions a couple staffers almost went to blows over that. This extended to the players who feel they have to choose sides, or in some cases just thought their position coach was arrogant and a jerk and left. Some kids also became arrogant following in their coaches footsteps and killed chemistry with teammates.
So to recap, and this is just a start there are other areas we could get to but it’s getting long, arrogance affected chemistry, morale, recruiting, game planning, performance and more. How does this new staff fix it? Well they are humble and hungry and ready to bust their ass. This staff is not lazy, they want to help each other, they lean on each other and they hold all kids accountable without giving passes to their favorites. So far from what I’ve heard the humbleness has spread like wildfire through staff and team and caused a hunger and drive. I’m not overly optimistic for this season based off roster composition and needing to learn mew systems, but I am a bit optimistic for the new staff. I’m optimistic they actually care about all and not self and I think they can spark a little bit of fire in Jim’s belly that had burned out. Who knows how the season will turnout, but at least it will be a “team” and they’ll enjoy the season and each other, which hasn’t been the case since 2016.
Another example of arrogance hurting the team is the I can run my system with whoever thought process. This causes a failure to address glaring holes on the roster because you want to prove people wrong, hello again Don Brown. It also caused for a BS meritocracy where you were rewarded for time in program as opposed to skill and performance. I’m sorry if it’s year five and you suck you should be behind the guy who’s year one or two and a stud.
Another area it’s hurt in the past is laziness. First area of laziness for some was on the recruiting trail. Some former members of staff took the Michigan sells itself thing and basically sat on their ass doing minimal recruiting. Examples of this are the constant loss of contact we saw under the previous staff. Or the I’ll just get an under the radar type who might be good, because I don’t want to fight for the kid I know is good since it’s more work. Laziness also hurt game planning. The team often slacked in game plans and installs when they didn’t feel it was needed. See close calls against teams like a bad army team and others.
Arrogance has also caused rifts between staff as well as between staff and players. Some staff members were getting pissed at how a couple people who aren’t with the team anymore treated everyone else. It was very I’m better than you and don’t give a shit what you have to say. Or I’m gonna overstep my lane and undermine/sabotage the guy over me because I just don’t like him. Last year in two occasions a couple staffers almost went to blows over that. This extended to the players who feel they have to choose sides, or in some cases just thought their position coach was arrogant and a jerk and left. Some kids also became arrogant following in their coaches footsteps and killed chemistry with teammates.
So to recap, and this is just a start there are other areas we could get to but it’s getting long, arrogance affected chemistry, morale, recruiting, game planning, performance and more. How does this new staff fix it? Well they are humble and hungry and ready to bust their ass. This staff is not lazy, they want to help each other, they lean on each other and they hold all kids accountable without giving passes to their favorites. So far from what I’ve heard the humbleness has spread like wildfire through staff and team and caused a hunger and drive. I’m not overly optimistic for this season based off roster composition and needing to learn mew systems, but I am a bit optimistic for the new staff. I’m optimistic they actually care about all and not self and I think they can spark a little bit of fire in Jim’s belly that had burned out. Who knows how the season will turnout, but at least it will be a “team” and they’ll enjoy the season and each other, which hasn’t been the case since 2016.
