Adam Loewy is one of the top personal injury lawyers in Austin. Adam is a proud graduate of the University of Texas School of Law and started his law firm in 2005. Adam helps people who have been injured in car crashes, slip and falls, dog bites, and other assorted ways. He is actively involved in every case he handles and is always available to talk or text. If you or a loved one has been injured, call the Loewy Law Firm today at (512) 280-0800.
Longhorn Nation has witnessed football coaches attempt to implement their culture through old-school methods that don't resonate with today’s generation of players.
When Charlie Strong was hired, he tried to turn around the program by showing players the door. Strong believed Texas players were soft and his job was to attack a cultural weakness in Austin like it was the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan. He dismissed 10 players from the team in year one. He hung signs around the athletic facility stating the Longhorn core values: “No drugs, No stealing, No guns, No earrings, Treat women with respect, Attend class.” Think about that for a second – no earrings were a core value? Sure, Strong seemingly has the support of his players toward the end of his tenure, but showing up for a press conference to watch your coach plea for his job after losing to Kansas is not exactly a team-building exercise anyone should market to Fortune 500 companies.
Former Texas football coach Tom Herman emerged on the scene with a disciplinarian approach as well. He believed it was important to beat the softness out of Strong’s players. After back-to-back 5-7 seasons, he was going to be the tough coach Texas needed to achieve success. Herman set the tone from day one when he opened the team meeting by telling a Longhorn player to “Sit the f--- up.” Here is what I wrote during Herman’s tenure: “The entire offseason centered around beating bad habits out of the Longhorns. It was about placing guys in gold, green and crimson groups. It was about punishing guys who struggled by serving them baked beans, burnt hotdogs, and a crappy breakfast (sidebar: most guys in the crimson group never ate the food and went to Chick-fil-La). It was about pee charts and testing the urine of players. This was the new world order.” Herman never had a losing season at Texas and was 4-0 in bowl games. However, I remember discussing Herman’s approach during a video with @Ketchum several years ago when he said, “Man, it’s too much. Some of those guys just need a hug.”
Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian and his Longhorns are embracing the college football playoffs right now after finishing 12-1 this season. Texas will play against Washington in the Sugar Bowl on January 1. And it is not because Sarkisian decided to kick ass and take names. Sarkisian never believed hanging up a poster was a way to instill culture. He was never an unapproachable coach who prided himself on not having a relationship with his players.
Instead, genuine relationships matter to Sarkisian.
“I think connectivity with the people,” Sarkisian said when asked what perspective has changed since being a head coach at Washington. “From a football mind, you just try to evolve and get there. But my connection with the people around me has definitely changed in the fact of the appreciation for the hard work that everybody has and that everybody puts in. The appreciation for the moments as they come and slowing down to enjoy the moments as they come.”
I can tell Sarkisian took notes as a former NFL coach.
The reason most college football coaches fail when in the NFL is due to their failure to adjust. They are accustomed to “kicking ass and taking names” at will. It was easy to bully an 18-year-old kid who did not have any options before the transfer portal. You can tell a college football athlete to “Sit the F---- up” during an introductory meeting and command attention.
That does not happen in the NFL.
The NFL is a world run by the players. They make more money than their coaches. Some players are untouchable due to their contracts. They have a player’s union for support whenever necessary. If a coach does not adjust, he cannot survive.
I remember covering the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the 2009 season. The Bucs played against New England in London that year. The organization decided to treat it like a business trip and arrive two days before the game as opposed to spending the entire week in England. Players were given a strict curfew, which did not sit well with guys who wanted to see the city. Oh, and Tampa Bay was 0-6 heading into that game and was defeated, 35-7.
During the weekend, a few players said screw it.
They decided to hit the town and ignore the team’s curfew. Those guys lived it up in London and did not care. When they arrived back at the hotel, those players were greeted by the former coach and general manager. They intended to discipline the players, but a former first-round pick from the group began cursing at the coach and GM in the hotel lobby. The player said if you do not like it, cut him. He also pointed out that they were not going to cut him and told them to shut the f--- up.
And nothing happened.
When I covered the Detroit Lions, there were meeting rooms for position groups, which is standard. However, Ndamukong Suh purchased a Nebraska red lounge chair and sat in the back of the room while everybody else on the team had to sit on folding chairs at a table – and the organization never said a word. When you are an NFL star, teams make concessions.
Suh did his own thing for a couple of years before an article came out exposing the difference and he purchased chairs for everyone else in the room.
Successful NFL coaches understand the only way to win games is to have a relationship with players. They find what motivates each person and tap into that desire. NFL players are coached hard and challenged. However, it is a juggling act that only the best coaches, like Pete Carroll, understand how to navigate.
This is the world Sarkisian came from.
And you can see traces of an NFL approach at Texas.
“I think that that started a little bit for me when I was an assistant in Atlanta and then at Alabama,” Sarkisian said. “My connection to those players at Alabama was real. And part of that was we were going through COVID. We were going through civil unrest and social injustice. There was a lot of things that were happening at that time. Loreal and I just felt like we need to pour into these guys and this is a different experience. We did and it was difficult to leave at that time because I had grown really fond of those players and had recruited some of those players. Bryce Young was there, and I'm leaving after one year. We just got here together. So inevitably, when I came here, it felt really natural just to start that process again.”
Sarkisian implemented Culture Wednesdays during the summer and Culture Fridays throughout the season at Texas.
What is that?
“So, Coach Sark, he speaks to us before we go to the movies, hotel, or to the plane,” Texas senior defensive back Jahdae Barron said. “He speaks to us as a group. We have cards that we’ll write [on]. He'll have an objective for us that day to write on the card. And it'll be anything. But we'll have something we'll write on the card and he'll have us pass it to somebody that we are not in the same position room as. I think it was the past one, he had everybody pass it to a person on the leadership council. We read over the cards and things like that. It's like different scenarios. He'll switch it up but it's so we can connect with one another. Everybody's kind of like in everybody else's mind and we know what somebody else is thinking and how they're feeling.
“I feel that it works because you're being honest with somebody or you're opening up to somebody. I feel that when you open up with somebody off the field and you know them strongly as a person, who they are, and what they want as a team or for themselves, you can hold them to that.”
Do you want to know why the players have embraced Michael Taffee?
Imagine being his teammate and he shares the biggest adversities in life during Sarkisian’s cultural sharing exercise.
“I'd probably say long story short, Jackson Coker, one of my best friends in high school passed away in a car crash (and) I was in the back of his funeral,” Taffee said. “Sixty-seven days later, Jake Ehlinger passed away, and I was in the back of his funeral with his family. So, 67 days apart, I was in the back of two funerals, having to say goodbye to two of my best friends, and one of the guys that I've looked up to (and) wanted to play with him in the future here. Things happen for a reason. I trust God's plan. Those are some things that I've battled with.”
Sarkisian is always transparent about his battles, too.
That is why the Longhorns have a brotherhood this season.
“For the players, it was probably a little bit unique and different,” Sarkisian said. “Like why is coach having these types of conversations with us? Or why is he having these one-on-one meetings with me and talking to him nothing about football and talking about life? In the end, now, that's the norm. Now they're very comfortable with me, too. I got my own handshake with DJ Campbell now on the field. Just different things that I can talk to the players about that allows them to see another side of me, but then also know when I do go to raise my voice about something or when I do talk very sternly to them about something, they know he's serious about this. We got to get this fixed and get this right.
“I think that's part of the trust. When you can be vulnerable and honest with somebody and then all of sudden, when the tone shifts, they go, okay, we got to get this right, get this fixed, this is what coach needs, and they keep doing it for me. And that's the coolest part, they keep following through. As long as I continue to follow through, they'll continue to follow through, and that's probably the most important part.”
Genuine relationships matter to Sarkisian.
Funniest Things You Will See This Week
EVERY parent of a school-aged child can relate to this
Get ready for the SEC – emphasis on the south (bad language alert)
Speaking of the South, this is why we love it (bad language alert)
Tipping culture is out of control
Sports On A Dime
1. Enjoy this portion of the press release announcing T’Vondre Sweat claiming the 78th Outland Trophy, which is awarded annually to the nation’s best college interior lineman on offense or defense.
"Sweat is the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year as the linchpin of one of the most formidable defensive fronts in the nation. He was one of three unanimous selections and the all-conference honors are the first of his career following a breakout season in which he established career highs with 42 tackles (sixth on the team), 17 solo tackles, eight tackles for loss, two sacks and four pass breakups. In addition Sweat also blocked a kick that was returned for a defensive two-point conversion against Iowa State.
"Sweat also caught a two-yard touchdown pass in the Big 12 Championship Game last week against Oklahoma State, the first reception of his career.
"Texas’ defensive front that includes Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year Byron Murphy II has led the Longhorns to near the top of multiple national defensive statistical categories:
Held opponents to 80.9 rushing yards per game (4th in the FBS)
Held opponents to 26.5 percent on third-down conversions (2nd in FBS)
Tie for fourth in red zone defense (71.4 percent, tied for 4th in FBS)
Gave up 17.2 points per game thus far in 13 games (12th in FBS)
Gave up 210 first downs thus far in 13 games (27th in FBS)
2. “Improvements to Cotton Bowl Stadium include widening concourses and adding escalators, increasing fans' comfort level while entering and exiting the stadium. This will also include renovations to concessions and restrooms, plus increasing the number of hospitality areas and premium environments, which will enhance the speed of service for fans during events. The first phase of renovations to the west side of the stadium is to be completed by September 2026. The city is also scheduled to finish a second phase of significant renovations to the east side of the stadium by September 2034.”
While I am excited about the Cotton Bowl extension, 2034 before renovations are complete?
3. For whatever it is worth, I purchased a Sugar Bowl ticket (not for me) using TickPick on Friday and avoided the ridiculous tack-on fees from other secondary ticket market sites. The ticket cost $675 and the seat is located in section 155. Even if the fees were built in, it did not feel like a robbery. Something needs to be done about the price-gouging on these secondary ticket market sites.
4. Here is a trip down memory lane for you:
5. Longhorn fans, life is good
6. Oklahoma football coach Brent Venables on the departure of quarterback Dillon Gabriel: “The only thing I would say, it didn't have anything to do with Jackson. I think Dillon had every intention to go to the NFL. In his mind, this was going to be his last season. He's going to have a great year, put himself in a position to go chase his dreams in the NFL. He's the best person to testify in regards to how he came to the decision to play another year collegiately. But quite frankly, we did plan, again going into the '24 season, without Dillon Gabriel. Dillon, I think one of the things that he'll comment about is he went through something similar at UCF with a quarterback there. He knows the uniqueness of the situation.
“Dillon knows certainly he was more than welcome to stay, continue to compete, be the quarterback at the University of Oklahoma. But that's just what decision he came to. Like I said, he would be the best person to really go into more depth and detail about what all went into that.”
7. Alabama football coach Nick Saban on rebounding after the loss against Texas: “Yeah, well, we won 10 of 11 games in a row and beat the No. 1 team in the country. We're not the same team that we were when we played Texas earlier in the season. We were kind of in transition at the quarterback position. It was unsettling. I think it affected our team. Although Texas has a great team, and I think they deserve every opportunity in terms of their résumé and getting in the game.
“This is just one of those years where -- there's been other years like this, where somebody that may have been deserving got left out, and Florida State certainly going undefeated was -- did everything they could to get in the playoffs, and unfortunately, probably because of the injury to the quarterback, they're not going to have that opportunity.”
8. Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh on his team’s reaction to learning they would face Alabama: “No, we're excited to face them. It's iconic. It's Alabama. It's Roll Tide. It's doesn't get any better, to be playing in the Rose Bowl, also the -- just going to appreciate the tradition of the Rose Bowl, playing a great team like Alabama. I mean, it always has meaning. What we did was special. Not only yesterday but the entire season, the whole group that we have. We're thrilled. We're thrilled to be where we're at. We're thrilled to be playing Alabama, thrilled to be playing in the Rose Bowl because it's going to be competition. That's what this team lives for.”
9. Speaking of Michigan, the Wolverines are seemingly ready to double down on their “Us vs. Them” tour. This is the same program that reduced Jim Harbaugh’s salary ($8 million to $4 million a year) instead of firing him after a 2-4 season in 2020. Michigan is 33-3 since Harbaugh took that pay cut.
10. FSU football coach Mike Norvell on not making the playoffs: “I was just hurt for our players to be honest with you. It was one of the tougher moments I've had to experience just for all that they've done. You talk to a team about responding to adversity, getting up and going to give all that you can, to be able to find a way to win a college football game. Like Coach Smart said, it's hard. It's hard to do, especially when you face some of the adversities that we've had this year, whether it's injury or different things to overcome. It's all part of it.As we tell our team all the time, Your truest identity shows up in times of great adversity. We faced it. They put it on display. So that was really that feeling in the moment.
“With all due respect, I put out a statement about the committee, my feelings on that decision. Out of respect for the Orange Bowl and the opportunity we have, I would like to keep any questions focused on this matchup. Obviously, if there's any other follow-up at a different time, it will be welcomed. Let's respect the Orange Bowl and the opportunity we have here, not so much on the decision of the committee.”
Proud Dad Alert
Allow me to be a proud dad for a moment. My son (Maximus) and I arrived in San Antonio on Friday for a Keepers Wars competition and he went undefeated in his division on Saturday. Regardless of what occurs on Sunday, I am super proud of a kid who was invited to train with PSG in Paris and is enjoying success this weekend after only starting to play soccer in March.
Oh yeah, do you want to know what I told him before each game?
All gas, no brakes.
Last edited by a moderator:
