I start by having a meeting with my team captains and other on-the-field leaders. I remind them that when the team is facing adversity, the rest of the team will take their cues from them. I challenge them to raise the bar of expectations for themselves and their teammates. I remind them that putting on the Grizzlies uniform is a privilege, not a right, and that they chose to play at U of M because of, not in spite of, the high standards and expectations.
During practice I strategically introduce adversity into players' lives. I intentionally put them at disadvantages and make them work hard to come up with solutions to overcome those challenges. I make them take responsibility for problems so they also learn to take responsibility for solving them. I see how my on-field leaders respond, and look for other players who step up into a leadership role.
I then meet with my offensive coordinator and insist that we develop a week-by-week game plan that maximizes our on-field talent and minimizes our on-field weaknesses. We stop trying to make Dalton Sneed complete long passes down the field and start finding ways to get the ball out of his hand quickly. We call more designed QB runs. We add a few option plays to the playbook. We use Eastwood more as a pass catcher. We utilize the remarkable athleticism of our wide receivers and call on them to make big plays after the catch. We find ways to get JLM at least 8 offensive touches per game. We utilize TEs in the backfield as both run and pass blockers.
Then I meet with coach Chad Germer and tell him that unless the offensive line shows significant improvement over the next 4 weeks, he will be replaced after the season. He may have had a consistent presence on this staff for several years, but we've also had a below-average offensive for the last several years. We can't keep blaming it on youth. Our lineman need to develop at a faster pace.
I then meet with Gabe Sulser, thank him for his contributions to the team thus far, and then inform him he'll be redshirting the rest of the year because we need him to be the cornerstone and face of the program over the next four years.
Finally, I find ways to get more of the two- and three-deep players and even some true freshmen into the games over the next four weeks. I need to take advantage of the new redshirt rules to see what sort of talent I've got waiting in the wings. I want to see what players like Milton Mamula, Michael McGinnis, Nick Fouch, Drew Turner, and Lorenzo Brown can do.
In short, I concede that we are not good this season, and I begin positioning our team to compete in the immediate future.