The talk of enthusiasm in the weight room is hardly a surprise and it is something that is going to bring benefits not only with the players improved strength and confidence as all weight programs are aimed to accomplish , but also in increased camaraderie.
People going through something really hard and difficult together makes them closer. A kind of " We got through this together. I distinctly remember this dynamic taking hold in my experience . Hockey and football and to a lesser extent baseball . Team bonding and developing that closeness and trust is crucial in teams getting the most out of themselves.
Some really talented teams don't have this. In Coffman's case the last few years saw higher talent levels but varying levels of that special bond. I don't like judging a team durig this past COVID season , but the team seemed to be more in synch in 2018 and 2019 than they were this past year.
Over the years there seems to have been teams that clicked better. Were more cohesive. I have seen in a few different sports at Coffman that one year a team was really talented, but didn't do as well as they might have because they were lacking that bond. Not dysfunctional but not really close. Something was missing. The next year a lesser talented team is much closer and does better in terms of their potential . Is more together.
In terms of leadership and programs messages and performance, sometimes it runs its course. Most coaches don't remain in jobs for 20 years. Many coaches get restless at a certain point and feel they need a new challenge. Many of us have moved and changed jobs a few times looking for a jolt of energy, a new challenge. Some coaches seek new jobs to give themselves a challenge and that sense of urgency brings out that extra juice . Gives their creative juices a jolt. New surroundings do this for many people.
Urban Meyer sought out rebuilds , and was fanatical about taking programs over and revamping them and improving them. He has been successful at each of his coaching jobs doing just this. He has a new challenge. The ultimate challenge in terms of football . Taking over a serially dysfunctional franchise who has had very small pockets of sucess and trying to make the franchise stable and successful. Build a sustainable model .
Aspirational people need new challenges. Stokes seems to be aspirational . I was listening to an interview with Theo Epstein the baseball GM who helped build the Red Sox and Cubs and they both ended long historic title droughts .He got the Red Sox job at 28 years old. Now Billy Beane of Money Ball " fame turned it down at that time but Theo took full advantage and got that first title in 2004. He conceded that at the beginning of his tenure that he really didn't know what he was doing just yet as he and the front office team were learning on the job . Put his head down and furiously soaked everything up that he could.
He left came back and had more success then went to Chicago. He is a guy who said needed that jolt of starting something new. Building it. Got his creative juices flowing again full force. Guys can keep growing and getting better at what they do when they stay put as well , but for some guys it's necessary to go somewhere else once in a while and re-energize themselves
Moving to a new place and a different organization can heighten your senses. Gives you a new perspective. Geron Stokes took a HC job at 23 at his alma mater Urbana. He admitted to being clueless in terms of knowing how to build a team. He knew football and the game itself and had the passion , BUT he had no clue how to really lead. He is a voracious reader and leadership perspectives is his favorite thing to read.
The key to success in any endeavor is getting 'Reps" performing the task. Total immersion into whatever you are doing and trying to figure out what you don't know is a huge factor. Whatever it is , running a campaign, writing a script, copywriting, coaching , getting reps and learning as much as you can about what you are doing is what the most successful people embrace. Handicapping sports is a reps exercise. Years of reps . Learning as much as you can from others . Reading things from top professionals and incorporating these things into your own style and instincts.
Stokes dove deep and learned a lot, purposeful intentional learning . The after he got his reps up , the success followed. The thing is the most important thing is what you learn after you think you have it all figured out. You need to continue to adjust, learn new stuff and grow or you get stagnant and you lose your edge. Success isn't linear, it goes sideways sometimes. Embracing new challenges, pushing yourself to be better , and being purposeful and intentional in the process seems to be Stokes's philosophy so to speak. He takes over a program with 2 decades of continued success with the worst year being 6-4 and that happened only once and that team made the play-offs. Two 7-3 teams did not make out . So, 18 of 20 years in the play-offs and no losing seasons and won at least 7 games in 19 of 20 . BUT this is a rebuilding period. That era ended suddenly but not really unexpectedly. It's a new day on Coffman Road. They are fortunate to get a leaderlike Stokes to usher in the new era. He will not have the individual talent the first couple years that has been present here the last handful of years . But the program has the type of guy who I believe is not only up to the challenge, but embraces it.
Lastly one question I have for the Minster guys who read this space now . How many guys did Minster on average , play both ways? I think that may be a difference that exists in smaller school football and the top couple divisions. Coffman did play a couple on both sides once in
a while but as a rule, did not do this. Curious as to what Stokes history of this is. He may be tempted to play more kids two ways and I think at the D-1 level it isn't as doable as most teams don't have a lot of kids do this.