AJC > Sports > Blog > Archives > 2008 > February > 29
Friday, February 29, 2008
It’s Free-Wheeling Friday
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
We’re going to start a new tradition here on the old college football blog. On “Free-wheeling Friday” we just might talk about anything. And you do the same. If you want to step outside the world of college football, feel free. Just don’t wander too far away.
Today, for example, there are three things that I really wonder about:
1. Can Terrelle Pryor possibly be that good? The young man from Jeannette, Pa., is making his victory tour around schools that are still vying for his services. He is showing up at college basketball games where the crowds are going absolutely nuts and chanting his name.
I’m not trying to be an old fogey here but, having raised a teenager, I have to ask: Can that kind of adoration possibly be healthy for somebody who is 18 years old? And how will Mr. Jeannette react the first time that same crowd turns on him when he makes a mistake in a big game? In other words, if you crank up the hype machine to this kind of level, can you possibly live up to it?
All I know is that Jimmy Clausen, last year’s golden child in recruiting, showed up to make his announcement (that he was going to Notre Dame) in a stretch limo. Unless Clausen wins a national championship, that will be the lasting image people have of him.
2. Can coaches be objective when it comes to discipline? I wrote yesterday about how difficult it is to handle bad behavior by college athletes, particularly when the law is violated. One of the inherent problems is that the head coach has a conflict of interest in this area. He is in charge of disciplining the student athletes in his program, but at the same time he has a huge financial stake in keeping these men on the field. Back in the old days when coaches were not multi-millionaires, it was a little easier to stand on principle.
Some schools have kicked around the idea of taking discipline out of the hands of head coaches when the rule of law is involved. If a guy misses curfew, doesn’t go to class or misses practices, that’s up to the coach. He would be in charge of everything football related. If the police get involved, then the university takes over. Coaches would not like that because they are, my nature, control freaks. But it may be necessary.
3. Does Les Miles know that he is making a bad situation worse? First there were media reports that LSU quarterback Ryan Perrilloux would not take part in spring practice because of his most recent suspension. Then the school comes back and says “not so fast, my friend. That story is not true.” So then reporters ask coach Les Miles for a clarification. His response? “I’m not saying.”
Here is the problem that most coaches don’t seem to understand. Miles has every right to handle discipline within the confines of his program. But the response to allegedly bad information-that Perrilloux is being suspended for the spring-is not to shut down ALL information. You replace bad information with good information. Now the entire spring practice is going to be dominated by this story. There could be 100 great stories coming out of spring practice at LSU but nobody is going to care.
Does Miles owe a complete explanation to the media on this? Absolutely not. But a college football program is like a political campaign. If you don’t control the message others will control it for you. In today’s media culture, an information vacuum is going to be filled by something-and it is usually bad information.
See you Monday.
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