(07-14-2014 11:42 AM)JMUsince89 Wrote:  MM always had a tough time getting the team to dress like a team on trips. he would say Gray sweats some would wear purple sweats he would say purple NIKE travel suits and sure enough a few would show up in gray sweats. Hope EW gets them in the team spirit what ever he choices to dress them in. There seemed to be no discipline in the past few years.

I traveled with the team twice over the last 2 years (Maine in 2012 and Akron in 2013). There was a dress code for the team and each and every one of them wore the Nike sweatsuit. There was a dress code for guests as well: Coat and tie. You could hear a pin drop while we waited in the airport, while we were on the plane and when these young men were eating meals. During the Akron trip last year, we stopped at Cracker Barrel for lunch. The team ate lunch in a dining room very close to where we ate. It was quiet. I'm sure they talked but there was nothing undisciplined. We then joined the team for a tour of the football Hall of Fame. We sat in on the intro meeting with the team. They were respectful during the presentation and very courteous. When we flew back from both Maine and Akron, the plane was quiet. We had a huge win at Maine and there was no celebration. We had a tough loss at Akron and the mood was the same.

I was also at the football banquet earlier this year. I was impressed with the level of maturity and with the way the players interacted with Coach Withers. It was Coach Withers' first interaction with many players.

My experience is limited but I wanted to share what I observed. I do like the cost and tie. I like the energy of the coaching staff. I like that the football team GPA went up this Spring. I think something really special is brewing

(07-15-2014 01:43 PM)Bogey Wrote:  

(07-15-2014 01:20 PM)ShadyP Wrote:  That is HUGE to have all the guys 'buy in' and have clear goals as a team. The boot camp approach definitely weeded out people that needed to go and were not interested in being part of the future. I subscribe to the few bad apples analogy and I think those have been weeded out.

I agree with you, but in fairness i don't think everyone who quit was a bad apple. Most of the people who quit had gotten used to the old approach which was a bit less structured and demanding. My guess is that if withers had been here when they arrived as freshmen they would have done just fine and not quit. I saw first hand how hard he worked them and I listened to the moaning and groaning from almost all the players in the beginning. It takes a real talent to be an old school disciplinarian and have as much buy in as Withers seems to have. the kids are walking around campus quoting some of the motivational lines used by Withers. Hope they have some early success so it reinforces the approach. If they don't lose any key players I really like their chances.

My wife is a teacher and always says she has to be harder on the students at the beginning, because you can always lighten up, but it's very hard to get tougher later.

As for quoting the coach: I love it. It's sound very "Friday Night Lights" cliche-like, but as a part-time coach I know I want a choice few of my words to stick with the players so when things are hard for them they are clear what we are all about.

Under Rip and Alex we had to wear a coat and tie when traveling to away games. I understand the idea of representing the school well by going on a business trip to take care of business. If you are going to play the part you might as well look the part--I get it. The problem i always had with the suit thing was logistics. Especially when we travelled to New Hampshire or somewhere with a crap whole of a visiting lockerroom. New Hampshire provided two pegs on a wall per player (no locker) and they would jack up the heat in the visiting lockerroom to make you uncomfortable as hell. We would have to bring a suit in a garment bag with us on gameday You can't stuff a suit in an equipment bag like you can your travel sweats), hang it on one of two pegs, and the rest of our equipment would be piled onto each others stuff; it was mess. I will not even touch on how bad the showers were. Then you had a two hour bus ride to Boston, a two hour flight to Reagan and another two hour bus ride to Harrisonburg after the game. It would've been best to be able to wear our travel sweats following the game.

(07-16-2014 02:01 PM)JMU_71 Wrote:  Under Rip and Alex we had to wear a coat and tie when traveling to away games. I understand the idea of representing the school well by going on a business trip to take care of business. If you are going to play the part you might as well look the part--I get it. The problem i always had with the suit thing was logistics. Especially when we travelled to New Hampshire or somewhere with a crap whole of a visiting lockerroom. New Hampshire provided two pegs on a wall per player (no locker) and they would jack up the heat in the visiting lockerroom to make you uncomfortable as hell. We would have to bring a suit in a garment bag with us on gameday You can't stuff a suit in an equipment bag like you can your travel sweats), hang it on one of two pegs, and the rest of our equipment would be piled onto each others stuff; it was mess. I will not even touch on how bad the showers were. Then you had a two hour bus ride to Boston, a two hour flight to Reagan and another two hour bus ride to Harrisonburg after the game. It would've been best to be able to wear our travel sweats following the game.

I get it. This is where a little common sense needs to prevail.

I've never been big on, "there are no exceptions." Just as with the method of travel, you do what is right for the situation. You review the past, you plan the future, you communicate to those it affects, and you execute.

Do coaches ever have the team captains get involved in these type decisions prior to announcing to the team or are they dictated to just as all the other players are? It seems to me that a Junior or Senior player would have a lot to offer that a coach may not have thought about. If a coach never played (not coached) as a visitor at NH then going to a team captain for knowledge would be helpful.

(07-16-2014 02:32 PM)BleedingPurple Wrote:  

(07-16-2014 02:01 PM)JMU_71 Wrote:  Under Rip and Alex we had to wear a coat and tie when traveling to away games. I understand the idea of representing the school well by going on a business trip to take care of business. If you are going to play the part you might as well look the part--I get it. The problem i always had with the suit thing was logistics. Especially when we travelled to New Hampshire or somewhere with a crap whole of a visiting lockerroom. New Hampshire provided two pegs on a wall per player (no locker) and they would jack up the heat in the visiting lockerroom to make you uncomfortable as hell. We would have to bring a suit in a garment bag with us on gameday You can't stuff a suit in an equipment bag like you can your travel sweats), hang it on one of two pegs, and the rest of our equipment would be piled onto each others stuff; it was mess. I will not even touch on how bad the showers were. Then you had a two hour bus ride to Boston, a two hour flight to Reagan and another two hour bus ride to Harrisonburg after the game. It would've been best to be able to wear our travel sweats following the game.

I get it. This is where a little common sense needs to prevail.

I've never been big on, "there are no exceptions." Just as with the method of travel, you do what is right for the situation. You review the past, you plan the future, you communicate to those it affects, and you execute.

Do coaches ever have the team captains get involved in these type decisions prior to announcing to the team or are they dictated to just as all the other players are? It seems to me that a Junior or Senior player would have a lot to offer that a coach may not have thought about. If a coach never played (not coached) as a visitor at NH then going to a team captain for knowledge would be helpful.

Withers has a very young staff so they should grab his attention on what the team wants. MM generally always asked captains or seniors for advice unless it was one of his "things".

(07-16-2014 03:32 PM)Hotrod829 Wrote:  

(07-16-2014 02:32 PM)BleedingPurple Wrote:  

(07-16-2014 02:01 PM)JMU_71 Wrote:  Under Rip and Alex we had to wear a coat and tie when traveling to away games. I understand the idea of representing the school well by going on a business trip to take care of business. If you are going to play the part you might as well look the part--I get it. The problem i always had with the suit thing was logistics. Especially when we travelled to New Hampshire or somewhere with a crap whole of a visiting lockerroom. New Hampshire provided two pegs on a wall per player (no locker) and they would jack up the heat in the visiting lockerroom to make you uncomfortable as hell. We would have to bring a suit in a garment bag with us on gameday You can't stuff a suit in an equipment bag like you can your travel sweats), hang it on one of two pegs, and the rest of our equipment would be piled onto each others stuff; it was mess. I will not even touch on how bad the showers were. Then you had a two hour bus ride to Boston, a two hour flight to Reagan and another two hour bus ride to Harrisonburg after the game. It would've been best to be able to wear our travel sweats following the game.

I get it. This is where a little common sense needs to prevail.

I've never been big on, "there are no exceptions." Just as with the method of travel, you do what is right for the situation. You review the past, you plan the future, you communicate to those it affects, and you execute.

Do coaches ever have the team captains get involved in these type decisions prior to announcing to the team or are they dictated to just as all the other players are? It seems to me that a Junior or Senior player would have a lot to offer that a coach may not have thought about. If a coach never played (not coached) as a visitor at NH then going to a team captain for knowledge would be helpful.

Withers has a very young staff so they should grab his attention on what the team wants. MM generally always asked captains or seniors for advice unless it was one of his "things".

Thanks!