UMGriz75
Well-known member
Unfortunately, Engstrom poisoned the potential coach pool by his clear signal that everything at UM is arbitrary. His extraordinary gracelessness in the handling of the whole situation, one that still does not make any sense except from the standpoint of Engstrom's own CYA over the "Saudi Student" scandal, is unfortunately, now part of the "public relations catastrophe" that this neophyte university president has unleashed upon himself, the University, the athletic programs, at an overall cost not just in plummeting morale, but in a devastating drop in student financial support from diminished enrollment.
This college president has done more damage across the board by his ill-advised actions, than any college president in the Montana University System history. He's hurt the entire university, and all the budgets are going to pay the price for his cupidity.
Part of my enjoyment in watching Griz games over the past 20 years has been all the positive things that sports are all about; seeing young people develop their skills, coaches being able to assess and react appropriately to strategic challenges, getting the kids and coaches all on the same page, and seeing the extraordinary things that happen on a football field when the whole effort synchronizes.
In Jordan Johnson's first season, and for Pflu as well, you could see it happen before our eyes; mistakes were made, but not repeated. Strengths were assessed, weaknesses worked on. And as the season progressed, the players, the coaches, the strategies and the talents all synchronized on the field and you could see, and understand, the progress being made. Each new season, a team has to find that common language and understanding of the sport, and when they do, its a beautiful thing to see. And it's been that way for the Grizzlies through a surprising number of coaches with otherwise remarkably different personalities.
This year, for the first time, I have no idea what I am seeing on the football field. Every play seems to be a random event. I can't see strategies being developed. I can't see players being challenged to develop their skillsets. I see weird inexplicable things like giving the other team the kickoff twice in one game.
I missed the Saturday game. Off coaching my own sport at an event. I got back to campus as the game was over and caught some students leaving and asked their perceptions of the game.
Not good.
For starters, no one can recognize a football team out there playing for the Grizzlies. There are three or four teams, obviously being managed by generals who lost their walkie talkies somewhere back at Firebase 12. Lots of talent, none of it managed to any synergistic effect whatsoever to create "a football team."
The coaches have now consistently shown that they don't know what to do against opponents. They just don't know. And I can say that with confidence because I can't watch the game and have any idea what's going on.
I sense also, a "line" being crossed. The team no longer trusts the coaches. It's starting to boil over. The grumbling is starting. These are kids working their hearts out, while the coaches seem to be using completely random strategies out of fortune cookies. And these are smart kids; they know they are getting bad strategies; that they are coming out for second halves -- historically the strong half for Grizzly football -- completely unprepared to ... play football.
I cannot imagine a worse scenario for a football team, any team, when the coaching staff has lost the confidence of the team. That has happened at UM, and I think it happened Saturday.
This college president has done more damage across the board by his ill-advised actions, than any college president in the Montana University System history. He's hurt the entire university, and all the budgets are going to pay the price for his cupidity.
Part of my enjoyment in watching Griz games over the past 20 years has been all the positive things that sports are all about; seeing young people develop their skills, coaches being able to assess and react appropriately to strategic challenges, getting the kids and coaches all on the same page, and seeing the extraordinary things that happen on a football field when the whole effort synchronizes.
In Jordan Johnson's first season, and for Pflu as well, you could see it happen before our eyes; mistakes were made, but not repeated. Strengths were assessed, weaknesses worked on. And as the season progressed, the players, the coaches, the strategies and the talents all synchronized on the field and you could see, and understand, the progress being made. Each new season, a team has to find that common language and understanding of the sport, and when they do, its a beautiful thing to see. And it's been that way for the Grizzlies through a surprising number of coaches with otherwise remarkably different personalities.
This year, for the first time, I have no idea what I am seeing on the football field. Every play seems to be a random event. I can't see strategies being developed. I can't see players being challenged to develop their skillsets. I see weird inexplicable things like giving the other team the kickoff twice in one game.
I missed the Saturday game. Off coaching my own sport at an event. I got back to campus as the game was over and caught some students leaving and asked their perceptions of the game.
Not good.
For starters, no one can recognize a football team out there playing for the Grizzlies. There are three or four teams, obviously being managed by generals who lost their walkie talkies somewhere back at Firebase 12. Lots of talent, none of it managed to any synergistic effect whatsoever to create "a football team."
The coaches have now consistently shown that they don't know what to do against opponents. They just don't know. And I can say that with confidence because I can't watch the game and have any idea what's going on.
I sense also, a "line" being crossed. The team no longer trusts the coaches. It's starting to boil over. The grumbling is starting. These are kids working their hearts out, while the coaches seem to be using completely random strategies out of fortune cookies. And these are smart kids; they know they are getting bad strategies; that they are coming out for second halves -- historically the strong half for Grizzly football -- completely unprepared to ... play football.
I cannot imagine a worse scenario for a football team, any team, when the coaching staff has lost the confidence of the team. That has happened at UM, and I think it happened Saturday.
