Are the players on the same page as MJ?

[RedHiveBuilder]

Our team has the best chance of winning if they buy into MJ as their HC and the new perspective he brings to the team. Is the team coming together, or are the changes resulting in factions/lack of buy-in on the team?

As a fan, I'm interested to know:
1) Are the players are embracing their new coach?
2) How they feel about revisiting the basics?
3) How does the Defense feel about losing Chin?

 

[Nuts McClanahan]

I'm not at the practices but I can give an educated guess for what a typical losing program would do.

1. Some players are embracing him. Others are not.
2. Three factors are at play that would say "No" to how well the players would embrace tougher practices that actually involve physicality. First off, it's tough to start anything easy and then get tougher in the middle. Second, it's apparent from watching film that we have a fair amount of lazy players who are playing. Makes me wonder who lazy some of the guys who aren't playing must be. Lazy kids don't want to work. And third, a losing team with a history of losing probably has a serious lack of motivation, which also means that they aren't going to work hard.
3. I think there are players who are loyal to Chin that barely know Mickey. And given the timing of it, Mickey may have fired Chin over a concern over loyalty to the interim coach? Maybe being to chummy with the players? I doubt that the defense has much unity.

So I think the staff has their hands full. I hope they bench guys who dogged it vs. OU. Set a standard!