re: Player Motivation: Miles v. Saban

quote:

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The process for kicking failed

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Indeed it did. There was an exchange between Saban and a reporter in the postgame press conference that went something like this:

"Q: Coach, there were some miscues in the kicking game tonight. How confident were you in your kicking game coming into tonight's game?

A: Well, a guy doesn't field a punt, and our kicker missed a few field goals? Was there anything else?"

The reporter didn't have the balls to follow up, but I think I would have said, "Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?"

His answer suggests that the kicking game was fine, there were just a couple of players who didn't do what we asked them to do. But isn't that the entire point? Why didn't your all world players step up and make those plays? Was it possibly because they were tight as hell and not having fun? Was it because you zapped all the excitement out of the game in favor of some 19th century-style manufacturing protocol?