Quote:
Originally Posted by jay santos
Team unity is the most overrated concept in sports, IMHO.
Show me a team that's not unified going into a season. I can show you quotes from the papers that said "this is the most unified we've ever been. last year we had guys doing their own thing, but now we all hang out together and there's a great team feeling". I can show you this quote every August going back to the late 80's when I started following the Cougs religiously.
Also, show me a team that's unified when you've had three losing seasons in a row or at the end of the season when the team has underachieved drastically.
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I did not say untiy, nor that Bronco's main job was to 'unite' as a team. There is a HUGE difference between being united and not believing in your coach, ie losing players who, like it or not, don't play 100% for you because they don't feel like you are capable enough to be doing the right things. THAT is what the biggest problem was, and as the shitty losses piled up, the problem got worse and worse. Crowton became more and more desperate.
IMO, when the kick sailed wide v. Boise State, that team was done. Too many players had it in their heads that their coach was an idiot and no matter what he did from that point on, save beating Utah & a bowl game, he was not going to win them back.
I am not saying that Crowton does not deserve his share of blame for losing the players as the Engemann situation, the "Win by 9 not 2" and the UNR all were mistakes on his part that hurt him. But the players who quit (I believe yfanatico even said he was one of them) deserve as much of the blame for ultimately getting him fired and a losing season in 2004 as anybody else.