Culture is vastly overrated

[Jimmy Serrano]

The best team in the NFL has one of the most toxic cultures in the league. The QB, head coach and owner don't agree on anything. They are constantly at odds both privately and publicly. The reason for their greatness is a brilliant head coach who constantly manipulates players and tosses them away with little regard.

Belichick is the blueprint for football success on both the NFL and college level. Screw culture, what a team needs is dictatorical bully. The great ones, Lombardi, Parcells, Halas, Jimmy Johnson all fit the mold. Bear Bryant, Woody Hayes, Urban Meyer, even Saban are all tough SOBs. If you want to describe them in a phrase it's "My way or the highway."

How about college hoops? Calhoun, Bobby Knight, Pitino, Calipari (as if Calipari ever has players long enough to instill a culture), even the foul mouthed Coach K is a tough little dictator. What passes for "culture" is doing what the coach wants, when he wants or else. Period. And if you dont like it "Shut Up!"

You can find some exceptions, So what. Coming into a program and changing the culture is an exercise in uselessness. The great ones come into a program, and take over. They know how to motivate the kids, they know how to teach the kids what they know, and they know how to win.

Win and you can spew any nonsense you like. Win and you don't have to give a damn about the press. If you win you don't need to spend years talking about changing the culture, no on will care.

You can mumble like Belichick. Piss off your QB. Ignore your owner. Mistreat and insult your players. Ignore the media. Demand more money. Hate the donors. Break rules. All you have to do is be a brilliant football coach that knows how to win. And they will love you for it. Some will even write stories about your wonderful culture.

So much stupid here it’s mind numbing.

No surprise @Cubbybear likes the stupid. You two are peas in a pod.

 

[Nostical]

So all of BC's football players meet the academic requirements of the general student population?

We should hold UConn to a higher standard than BC.

 

[Stainmaster]

We should hold UConn to a higher standard than BC.

That's not happening, athletes and non-athletes alike.

 

[edsellout]

We should hold UConn to a higher standard than BC.

Proposal: Beat them once then claim moral high ground.

 

[Stainmaster]

Proposal: Beat them once then claim moral high ground.

cool story bro

 

[champs99and04]

Culture basically just means that everyone's on the same page and speaking the same language. I don't analyze everything Edsall says like some of you, but typically when coaches talk about "setting the tone" or "establishing a culture," it's just a roundabout way for them to vent about the players a previous coach recruited or to express frustration that their players aren't learning faster. You'll hear a lot of that on the basketball board this season, I'm sure.

The OP seems to be equating "culture" with "young kids who lack discipline and march to their own drum," which is weird, but whatever.

 

[Madmannsucks]

Coach RE says, it's about building a team, it's about building a program. Demoting kids for skipping classes or getting low grades? What is he thinking? Please get real. You won't listen to him. Jimmy Johnson is not available. Your option is either RE, or an up and coming assistant(Diaco is available, how did THAT turn out?). At the time I thought he was the answer. When you are paying what the Huskies are, your options are limited

 

[Waquoit]

Pal is so out of touch with what drives successful organizations that I probably shouldn't bother with a response, but I'll try to do so briefly

I'm afraid you're out of touch here, we're not talking about the organizational culture you're talking about. We're talking about a coach using the term "culture" as a shield from criticism. It's right on top of the hack coach tool kit. It's a tell. HCRE is so obvious and tone-deaf here, bringing it out after the coaches lost the game. The players aren't stupid, they can see a coach in CYA mode, not team mode.

 

[Excalibur]

My point was not to defend Edsall. For him to bring up culture now is as bad as Diaco talking about "plays that cause losing" when he was the cause of losing.

 

[Palatine]

Culture basically just means that everyone's on the same page and speaking the same language. I don't analyze everything Edsall says like some of you, but typically when coaches talk about "setting the tone" or "establishing a culture," it's just a roundabout way for them to vent about the players a previous coach recruited or to express frustration that their players aren't learning faster. You'll hear a lot of that on the basketball board this season, I'm sure.

The OP seems to be equating "culture" with "young kids who lack discipline and march to their own drum," which is weird, but whatever.

Think of Calhoun. Now remember anytime a player talked back to him. That player was told to shut up and punished. Doiing what Calhoun said is not a culture. Calhoun's program was run by (a brilliant coach) who was a dictatorial bully.

You can call it culture. But it is obedience. A behavior.

 

[junglehusky]

Uh oh, Danny Hurley is using the culture excuse too! #FireHurley

 

[huskymedic]

Uh oh, Danny Hurley is using the culture excuse too! #FireHurley

 

[Stainmaster]

Uh oh, Danny Hurley is using the culture excuse too! #FireHurley

Hurley’s had the job for over seven months, and still hasn’t netted a single five star recruit, made the second weekend of the tourney, or beaten Cuse. How can Palatine stand for that?!

 

[Palatine]

I don't mind coaches using the word "culture" to cover the fact they are completely and totally in control of everything that happens inside their program. If they win, I don't care what they say. In fact, I have learned to pay no attention to anything coaches say. I watch their teams play, that tells you everything.

 

[UConnNick]

That ain’t happening nor should it.

Well, then I guess you're comfortable with being relegated to the dregs of FBS football in perpetuity?

When Calhoun arrived we eased admission standards for men's BB recruits because we had to if we were ever going to effectively compete in the Big East against other programs that do the same thing. Nothing has changed. It's still true in the AAC or most any other league, except the Patriot and Ivy.