Army West Point Athletics
Tuesday, Sept. 14 - Tuesdays With Coach
September 14, 2010 | General
Happy Tuesday afternoon, everyone. Brian Gunning taking the reins of the blog today. Pardon my tardiness, but I just got back in the office after Coach Ellerson's press conference and helping some of our local media get interviews with some players. I definitely didn't mind standing outside today as the players got off the bus. If Saturday's weather is anything like today's (and the forecast says it is), then everyone at Michie Stadium will be in for a treat.
Tuesdays during the football season might be my second favorite day of the week (behind game day, of course). I always enjoy listening to Coach Ellerson diagnose the upcoming opponent and give his take on his team. I was especially interested today given the way things went down Saturday afternoon.
Let me start with the fact that as a Cubs fan, belief is part of my genetic code. Sure I get smacked upside the head every season (usually in mid-June), but I still believe that one day I will watch them hoist the World Series flag at the corner of Clark and Addison. This year's Army football team has tapped into that belief.
Coach Ellerson preaches staying in the moment and not letting previous plays or games affect the next. He stressed today that the team had moved on to the task at hand this week. Most coaches will say that, but it still has to be hard to get the players, and even themselves, to believe sometimes. However, I honestly believe that Coach operates this way and, maybe even more importantly, has convinced his players to think this way.
In my opinioin, Coach Ellerson has done a masterful job of instilling this attitude in the team. You could see it on display Saturday afternoon. Most teams that are down 21-0 just 20 minutes into the game are toast, but these guys clawed their way back and scored 28 in a row. Even the week before is a great example. After leading most of the second half, Army fell behind to Eastern Michigan with only a few minutes on the clock and almost 80 yards to go. Eight plays later, Jared Hassin scored the game-winner. That comes down to believing. Even in the most difficult situations, they believe in their heart of hearts that they can, and will, prevail. The only way to do that is to take things one snap at a time.
It sounds like coach speak, and maybe it is, but if you really think about it, what's the alternative? It's the sporting equivalent of the old time management trick that we all use. As cliche as it sounds, things really do happen one play at a time in football (anyone watch the end of the first half of the Cowboys-Redskins game on Sunday?). My high school coach used to preach that there were five or six plays that decided a game. You never knew when those plays were going to happen, so you better play each one like that is the one. While I haven't been around West Point as long as some of my colleagues (Mady once got very offended when I suggested that she saw Doc Blanchard and Glenn Davis play), this is my fourth football season here. I can truly say that there is no, "Well, here we go again," factor with this team. When you haven't tasted success in a long time, when things go bad, most have a tendency to let it become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Not these guys. I can't wait to watch them play every week. It is inspiring to listen to them talk about their belief in one another and how much they care about their temmates. The outcome may not be what we want each time out, but I enjoy watching these players and coaches leave everything on the field.
I got chills in the post-game press conference last Saturday when I heard Stephen Anderson's response to a question about how he helps everyone get over such a bitterly disappointing outcome.
"Grab your brother's shoulder, look him in the eye and tell him everything is going to be okay. We're still here. We still have 10 more games. All of our goals for the season are still there. It's not over yet and all of us know that. We're just one step away from showing everyone that we're the team everyone knows we can be."
It's all about belief with these guys. Now if we can only do something with the Cubs ...
GO ARMY!!
