It's not all bad news

[etowncoug]

Kassidy Woods has entered the transfer portal. Wonder how popular a kid who illegally recorded his coach and proceeded to launch a smear campaign against him in the press will be. Especially such a marginal talent.

This gets one of three malcontents off the roster who, to be honest, need to go because they aren't good enough to justify putting up with the BS and division they are sowing in the locker room.

 

[BiggsCoug]

Kassidy Woods has entered the transfer portal. Wonder how popular a kid who illegally recorded his coach and proceeded to launch a smear campaign against him in the press will be. Especially such a marginal talent.

This gets one of three malcontents off the roster who, to be honest, need to go because they aren't good enough to justify putting up with the BS and division they are sowing in the locker room.

He will find out real quick how good he had it. Where is he gonna land now??? I’d wager it isnt gonna be a school with anywhere near the $ WSU has.

 

[CougPatrol]

I’d wager it isnt gonna be a school with anywhere near the $ WSU has.

Had.

 

[BiggsCoug]

Had.

lol yes. So a school with even less.

 

[SDCoug]

He will find out real quick how good he had it. Where is he gonna land now??? I’d wager it isnt gonna be a school with anywhere near the $ WSU has.

I wouldn’t pick up that kid if I were coaching NAIA ball. Why would you gamble on a kid who secretly records conversations? Not the type of character I would want on my team.

 

[BiggsCoug]

I wouldn’t pick up that kid if I were coaching NAIA ball. Why would you gamble on a kid who secretly records conversations? Not the type of character I would want on my team.

There will prob be a team that gives him a scholarship thinking a change of venue will be good for him. Maybe it will be but if you were unhappy at the school that had $, will you be happy at the school that doesnt have $???

 

[cr8zyncalif]

We painted our own locker room in high school. Maybe Mr. Woods is such a team oriented guy that he will want to lift a paint brush himself? Actually, the painting is the easy part. It is the prep that most kids lack the patience and self discipline to handle.

 

[FnuLnu]

We painted our own locker room in high school. Maybe Mr. Woods is such a team oriented guy that he will want to lift a paint brush himself? Actually, the painting is the easy part. It is the prep that most kids lack the patience and self discipline to handle.

Woods would have shown up to that locker room and set up a time lapse camera to film the prep and painting and left for the duration.

 

[grahamcoug]

Kassidy Woods has entered the transfer portal. Wonder how popular a kid who illegally recorded his coach and proceeded to launch a smear campaign against him in the press will be. Especially such a marginal talent.

This gets one of three malcontents off the roster who, to be honest, need to go because they aren't good enough to justify putting up with the BS and division they are sowing in the locker room.

Malcontents need to move on. In your opinion, who are the other malcontents?

 

[BraindeadCoug]

He will find a home - it is called a Junior College.

 

[etowncoug]

Malcontents need to move on. In your opinion, who are the other malcontents?

Not going to make names while they are on the roster, but let's just say the P-12 unity movement is a cancer. FWIW, Dallas Hobbes isn't one of the players I have tabbed as a problem.

Kassidy Woods story is tragic. He was given an opportunity to push for the sort of change he wanted to see on issues he cared about. Then, for no reason, he went full revolutionary, poured gasoline on himself, and lit himself on fire in an attempt to burn everything to the ground.

We have some players who were trying to push through a version of the blue flu by opting out for "health concerns". These guys wanted to keep sowing chaos by showing up to practices/team meetings and what not. Basically a group of kids trying to unionize and grow their boycott while not contributing to the team. No coach worth their salt is going to put up with their BS. Rolo got himself in trouble for trying to be a nice guy. Agents of chaos like Kassidy only interprete Rolo's kindness was weakness.

I expect we see a half dozen or so more transfers out of the program due to the toxic environment created. The team has a long way to go to come together. Our focus sucks right now and we don't have player leadership keeping things together. Jahad tries but he's not the dominant personality this team needs to steady the ship.

 

[fingerdisco]

Not going to make names while they are on the roster, but let's just say the P-12 unity movement is a cancer. FWIW, Dallas Hobbes isn't one of the players I have tabbed as a problem.

Kassidy Woods story is tragic. He was given an opportunity to push for the sort of change he wanted to see on issues he cared about. Then, for no reason, he went full revolutionary, poured gasoline on himself, and lit himself on fire in an attempt to burn everything to the ground.

We have some players who were trying to push through a version of the blue flu by opting out for "health concerns". These guys wanted to keep sowing chaos by showing up to practices/team meetings and what not. Basically a group of kids trying to unionize and grow their boycott while not contributing to the team. No coach worth their salt is going to put up with their BS. Rolo got himself in trouble for trying to be a nice guy. Agents of chaos like Kassidy only interprete Rolo's kindness was weakness.

I expect we see a half dozen or so more transfers out of the program due to the toxic environment created. The team has a long way to go to come together. Our focus sucks right now and we don't have player leadership keeping things together. Jahad tries but he's not the dominant personality this team needs to steady the ship.

Your comment on players wanting to unionize got me to thinking, when will the NCAA get smart and quit being the NFL's free player development farm system? Its high time they wise up and let players go directly to the NFL if they want to--sure, a few superstars will survive the jump, but by and large, football players really benefit from 4-5 years in college, getting coached up and developing physically. Let the NFL pay for the years it takes to get these kids built into NFL players. And if the kids don't think they can make the immediate jump then fine, play college ball and get the scholarship, but their argument about deserving to get paid just went out the window when they went the way of the easy money in the form of a scholarship and so much as admitted they need college ball as much as it needs them. Another benefit I could see is this would level the playing field for schools like WSU, as the Alabamas and Ohio States of the league would no longer be stockpiling kids that are damn near NFL ready out of high school, and would be forced to rely on the kids that need some developing. Sure, they'd still get the cream of the crop of the 3 star kids, but there's a hell of a lot more of those than the 4 and 5 stars that could make the jump to the NFL.

 

[BiggsCoug]

Your comment on players wanting to unionize got me to thinking, when will the NCAA get smart and quit being the NFL's free player development farm system? Its high time they wise up and let players go directly to the NFL if they want to--sure, a few superstars will survive the jump, but by and large, football players really benefit from 4-5 years in college, getting coached up and developing physically. Let the NFL pay for the years it takes to get these kids built into NFL players. And if the kids don't think they can make the immediate jump then fine, play college ball and get the scholarship, but their argument about deserving to get paid just went out the window when they went the way of the easy money in the form of a scholarship and so much as admitted they need college ball as much as it needs them. Another benefit I could see is this would level the playing field for schools like WSU, as the Alabamas and Ohio States of the league would no longer be stockpiling kids that are damn near NFL ready out of high school, and would be forced to rely on the kids that need some developing. Sure, they'd still get the cream of the crop of the 3 star kids, but there's a hell of a lot more of those than the 4 and 5 stars that could make the jump to the NFL.

You would see one and done kids. The NFL isnt likely to take kids directly out of HS. Maybe a perimeter player has a shot but not a line of scrimmage player.

If schools were smart they would tell the coaches to kick rocks too. No more zillions of dollars for a coaching staff. No more zillion dollar facilities. No more enormous admin staffs. No more millions spent on recruiting.

These BCS schools have had tens of millions in tv $ come in and they have turned around and sent it all right back out. How tf do you have a business that gets $20m+ per year in revenue just to be on tv and the next year have a budget crisis when you have to take 1 year off???

 

[etowncoug]

Your comment on players wanting to unionize got me to thinking, when will the NCAA get smart and quit being the NFL's free player development farm system? Its high time they wise up and let players go directly to the NFL if they want to--sure, a few superstars will survive the jump, but by and large, football players really benefit from 4-5 years in college, getting coached up and developing physically. Let the NFL pay for the years it takes to get these kids built into NFL players. And if the kids don't think they can make the immediate jump then fine, play college ball and get the scholarship, but their argument about deserving to get paid just went out the window when they went the way of the easy money in the form of a scholarship and so much as admitted they need college ball as much as it needs them. Another benefit I could see is this would level the playing field for schools like WSU, as the Alabamas and Ohio States of the league would no longer be stockpiling kids that are damn near NFL ready out of high school, and would be forced to rely on the kids that need some developing. Sure, they'd still get the cream of the crop of the 3 star kids, but there's a hell of a lot more of those than the 4 and 5 stars that could make the jump to the NFL.

The NFL makes the call on whether or not someone is eligible to declare for the draft. They simply don't want kids out of high school because they'd get destroyed. The difference between 18 and 21 is huge.

 

[kougkurt]

Not going to make names while they are on the roster, but let's just say the P-12 unity movement is a cancer. FWIW, Dallas Hobbes isn't one of the players I have tabbed as a problem.

Kassidy Woods story is tragic. He was given an opportunity to push for the sort of change he wanted to see on issues he cared about. Then, for no reason, he went full revolutionary, poured gasoline on himself, and lit himself on fire in an attempt to burn everything to the ground.

We have some players who were trying to push through a version of the blue flu by opting out for "health concerns". These guys wanted to keep sowing chaos by showing up to practices/team meetings and what not. Basically a group of kids trying to unionize and grow their boycott while not contributing to the team. No coach worth their salt is going to put up with their BS. Rolo got himself in trouble for trying to be a nice guy. Agents of chaos like Kassidy only interprete Rolo's kindness was weakness.

I expect we see a half dozen or so more transfers out of the program due to the toxic environment created. The team has a long way to go to come together. Our focus sucks right now and we don't have player leadership keeping things together. Jahad tries but he's not the dominant personality this team needs to steady the ship.

Interested as why, or if, you see this as a bigger problem in Pullman vs other campuses. What do you see fueling this toxic environment?

 

[fingerdisco]

The NFL makes the call on whether or not someone is eligible to declare for the draft. They simply don't want kids out of high school because they'd get destroyed. The difference between 18 and 21 is huge.

I didn’t realize the NFL has forced that upon the NCAA, I was always under the impression it was the NCAA telling kids they couldn’t go pro out of HS to make sure they extracted some time on the field first. I guess they need to use some creative ways to incentivize the NFL to contribute to player development if they’re going to force kids through the college system. As it is they gain all the benefits and incur none of the costs.

 

[BleedCrimsonandGray]

I didn’t realize the NFL has forced that upon the NCAA, I was always under the impression it was the NCAA telling kids they couldn’t go pro out of HS to make sure they extracted some time on the field first. I guess they need to use some creative ways to incentivize the NFL to contribute to player development if they’re going to force kids through the college system. As it is they gain all the benefits and incur none of the costs.

Maurice Clarett sued the NFL to let him come out as a soph; previously they wouldnt let kids declare until they were juniors.

 

[Coug90]

The NFL makes the call on whether or not someone is eligible to declare for the draft. They simply don't want kids out of high school because they'd get destroyed. The difference between 18 and 21 is huge.

Yup this isn’t changing any time soon. The NFL doesn’t need HS kids coming in and sitting on the bench. They have deep rosters and plenty of star power already. Even a Trevor Lawrence isn’t really needed he’d be in the bottom 3rd of QBs as a rookie anyway.

NCAA gets the advantage of being a farm system with massive revenue and minimal investment. There’s no great alternative for the players till someone can figure out how to have a semipro league that pays young players, makes a profit, and provides as good of an entertainment value as CFB. I don’t see it happening.

They scratch each others back -it’s the perfect arrangement.

 

[etowncoug]

Interested as why, or if, you see this as a bigger problem in Pullman vs other campuses. What do you see fueling this toxic environment?

It's been uglier here. Players going after each other openly on Twitter. Factions forming. I hear it's tense in the locker room.

It's no accident you are seeing players hitting the portal recently. It does seem worse here because we aren't seeing other teams implode over this.

Covid has presented a huge challenge to Rolovich and it's clear his "I love you guys" and "play for each other" message hasn't resonated with the current group. Actual practices and games would go a long way to build unity. This team needs an identity in the worst way and an alpha to enforce the culture.

 

[etowncoug]

You would see one and done kids. The NFL isnt likely to take kids directly out of HS. Maybe a perimeter player has a shot but not a line of scrimmage player.

If schools were smart they would tell the coaches to kick rocks too. No more zillions of dollars for a coaching staff. No more zillion dollar facilities. No more enormous admin staffs. No more millions spent on recruiting.

These BCS schools have had tens of millions in tv $ come in and they have turned around and sent it all right back out. How tf do you have a business that gets $20m+ per year in revenue just to be on tv and the next year have a budget crisis when you have to take 1 year off???

Very few non profits can survive a major drop in revenue for a single season and be on good shape.

Colleges aren't going to hoard cash for a rainy day. If they did the athletes would have an excellent argument for getting paid as employees for the school. So the dollars athletics generates pour back into athletics. Make no mistake, the facilities and perks (other than a paycheck) FBS football offers are far superior to what they'll receive in the NFL. Of course the pay makes the NFL a better fit, but the NFL revenues make the NCAA's look like small potatoes.

 

[Observer11]

Not going to make names while they are on the roster, but let's just say the P-12 unity movement is a cancer. FWIW, Dallas Hobbes isn't one of the players I have tabbed as a problem.

Kassidy Woods story is tragic. He was given an opportunity to push for the sort of change he wanted to see on issues he cared about. Then, for no reason, he went full revolutionary, poured gasoline on himself, and lit himself on fire in an attempt to burn everything to the ground.

We have some players who were trying to push through a version of the blue flu by opting out for "health concerns". These guys wanted to keep sowing chaos by showing up to practices/team meetings and what not. Basically a group of kids trying to unionize and grow their boycott while not contributing to the team. No coach worth their salt is going to put up with their BS. Rolo got himself in trouble for trying to be a nice guy. Agents of chaos like Kassidy only interprete Rolo's kindness was weakness.

I expect we see a half dozen or so more transfers out of the program due to the toxic environment created. The team has a long way to go to come together. Our focus sucks right now and we don't have player leadership keeping things together. Jahad tries but he's not the dominant personality this team needs to steady the ship.

There was a time when a Hawaiian Coug said "Buy in or leave".

Looks like Rolo may need to dust that one off sooner rather than later.

 

[fingerdisco]

Yup this isn’t changing any time soon. The NFL doesn’t need HS kids coming in and sitting on the bench. They have deep rosters and plenty of star power already. Even a Trevor Lawrence isn’t really needed he’d be in the bottom 3rd of QBs as a rookie anyway.

NCAA gets the advantage of being a farm system with massive revenue and minimal investment. There’s no great alternative for the players till someone can figure out how to have a semipro league that pays young players, makes a profit, and provides as good of an entertainment value as CFB. I don’t see it happening.

They scratch each others back -it’s the perfect arrangement.

I disagree—the NFL is making out like a bandit. They don’t pay a dime to get these kids NFL-ready, and get to start making cash on the big name players merch sales immediately due to the free hype during the kids’ time in school. As soon as Trevor Lawrence signs with a team his jersey will be flying off the shelves, with zero advertising expended. At a minimum, schools should be getting reimbursed for a portion of scholarship costs of the kids they’re pumping into the NFL system.

 

[BiggsCoug]

Very few non profits can survive a major drop in revenue for a single season and be on good shape.

Colleges aren't going to hoard cash for a rainy day. If they did the athletes would have an excellent argument for getting paid as employees for the school. So the dollars athletics generates pour back into athletics. Make no mistake, the facilities and perks (other than a paycheck) FBS football offers are far superior to what they'll receive in the NFL. Of course the pay makes the NFL a better fit, but the NFL revenues make the NCAA's look like small potatoes.

I dunno that they have to hoard cash but saving for a rainy day or a pandemic might be a good idea moving forward. If the athletes wanna gripe about the school stacking chips in a bank account now.... the schools will point at $100m budget shortfalls as a reason why they are doing it.

 

[etowncoug]

I dunno that they have to hoard cash but saving for a rainy day or a pandemic might be a good idea moving forward. If the athletes wanna gripe about the school stacking chips in a bank account now.... the schools will point at $100m budget shortfalls as a reason why they are doing it.

Non-profits don't stack cash in bank accounts for a reason. If you are raising say 5% more annually than you spend for a rainy day, it won't take long for your donations to tail off to get you roughly even. People give when there is a need. But we aren't in a position to talk about saving money each year. Athletics is running a deficit for the foreseeable future. Any check the athletes received on what they made the school would come with a minus sign before the dollar figure.

 

[BiggsCoug]

Non-profits don't stack cash in bank accounts for a reason. If you are raising say 5% more annually than you spend for a rainy day, it won't take long for your donations to tail off to get you roughly even. People give when there is a need. But we aren't in a position to talk about saving money each year. Athletics is running a deficit for the foreseeable future. Any check the athletes received on what they made the school would come with a minus sign before the dollar figure.

WSU athletics is there for the $. This idea that its a non profit is incorrect. The dont sink millions into the program, build enormous facilities and so on to be non profit.

 

[dgibbons]

WSU athletics is there for the $. This idea that its a non profit is incorrect. The dont sink millions into the program, build enormous facilities and so on to be non profit.

Well, if WSU is in it for the money, being a nonprofit and not paying taxes would be the best way of being in it for the money.

 

[BleedCrimsonandGray]

money is the real cancer in the locker room and in the sport in general. Not that this is news but, and I know this will sound incredibly "get off my lawn", it seems to be the worst its ever been.

Besides college players now looking to punch their ticket at age 18 via NCAA cash, I heard an interview with an NFL cb who is now the highest paid cb ($55MM guaranteed), and he talked as if his rookie contract was living on minimum wage. (four-year, $10.09 million contract that includes $7.78 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $5.47 million). The goalpost for "success" has moved from being wealthy to being stinking, filthy, scrooge mcduck wealthy. Players in the NBA and NFL aren't there to play, they are there to expand their brand and get paid. In the midst of the social justice uproar, the NBA mantra was literally "we're not here to entertain you." Dafuq? That is exactly what you're there and being paid for.

I've said it before, but honestly I'd be fine if it all burned to the ground and got rebuilt from the floor up, hopefully with an extended absence so that players might appreciate the measly $3.25MM salary.

 

[BiggsCoug]

money is the real cancer in the locker room and in the sport in general. Not that this is news but, and I know this will sound incredibly "get off my lawn", it seems to be the worst its ever been.

Besides college players now looking to punch their ticket at age 18 via NCAA cash, I heard an interview with an NFL cb who is now the highest paid cb ($55MM guaranteed), and he talked as if his rookie contract was living on minimum wage. (four-year, $10.09 million contract that includes $7.78 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $5.47 million). The goalpost for "success" has moved from being wealthy to being stinking, filthy, scrooge mcduck wealthy. Players in the NBA and NFL aren't there to play, they are there to expand their brand and get paid. In the midst of the social justice uproar, the NBA mantra was literally "we're not here to entertain you." Dafuq? That is exactly what you're there and being paid for.

I've said it before, but honestly I'd be fine if it all burned to the ground and got rebuilt from the floor up, hopefully with an extended absence so that players might appreciate the measly $3.25MM salary.

The rookie deals are crap for guys performing at a high level. It leaves players feeling like they were taken advantage for their services. Guys want to be compensated fairly for their level of performance.

Russell Wilson made $565,000 when the Seahawks won the Super Bow. Peyton Manning was making $18,000,000. If it were me, the Seahawks are gonna pay me a handsome salary after that gift of a season.

The NFL has guys feeling like the team got over on them for their first contract. Wildly underpaid for their performance while if they suck they can be cut.

I understand being wealthy and well paid, lets not forget football is about $ in the NFL. You have a small window to make as much $ as you can and then you are done. Or you get hurt and are done. Or the team decides to cut you and youre out of work.

The owners have no problems making as much $ as possible, Goodell has no prob taking down $40,000,000 either. Why would the players feel guilty about getting as much of the pie as they can???

 

[BleedCrimsonandGray]

The rookie deals are crap for guys performing at a high level. It leaves players feeling like they were taken advantage for their services. Guys want to be compensated fairly for their level of performance.

Russell Wilson made $565,000 when the Seahawks won the Super Bow. Peyton Manning was making $18,000,000. If it were me, the Seahawks are gonna pay me a handsome salary after that gift of a season.

The NFL has guys feeling like the team got over on them for their first contract. Wildly underpaid for their performance while if they suck they can be cut.

I understand being wealthy and well paid, lets not forget football is about $ in the NFL. You have a small window to make as much $ as you can and then you are done. Or you get hurt and are done. Or the team decides to cut you and youre out of work.

The owners have no problems making as much $ as possible, Goodell has no prob taking down $40,000,000 either. Why would the players feel guilty about getting as much of the pie as they can???

again, reading comp not your strong suit Biggs, so you're forgiven for ranting on against an argument that I certainly didn't make.

But good info.

 

[dgibbons]

The rookie deals are crap for guys performing at a high level. It leaves players feeling like they were taken advantage for their services. Guys want to be compensated fairly for their level of performance.

Russell Wilson made $565,000 when the Seahawks won the Super Bow. Peyton Manning was making $18,000,000. If it were me, the Seahawks are gonna pay me a handsome salary after that gift of a season.

The NFL has guys feeling like the team got over on them for their first contract. Wildly underpaid for their performance while if they suck they can be cut.

I understand being wealthy and well paid, lets not forget football is about $ in the NFL. You have a small window to make as much $ as you can and then you are done. Or you get hurt and are done. Or the team decides to cut you and youre out of work.

The owners have no problems making as much $ as possible, Goodell has no prob taking down $40,000,000 either. Why would the players feel guilty about getting as much of the pie as they can???

It was a collectively bargained agreement. The poor, underpaid, overperforming players on their rookie contracts can direct their anger at the veterans and NFL PA. Or I suppose they can try their hand at digging ditches or flipping burgers.

 

[Coug90]

I disagree—the NFL is making out like a bandit. They don’t pay a dime to get these kids NFL-ready, and get to start making cash on the big name players merch sales immediately due to the free hype during the kids’ time in school. As soon as Trevor Lawrence signs with a team his jersey will be flying off the shelves, with zero advertising expended. At a minimum, schools should be getting reimbursed for a portion of scholarship costs of the kids they’re pumping into the NFL system.

I’m not sure what you disagree with, that’s what I said. This is the perfect scenario for the NFL. I don’t think the NCAA has any recourse though or ever would, and why would the NFL subsidize the NCAA in any way when they don’t have to. They are in it for every dime, have you ever bought a beer at an NFL stadium? A player can sit out if he wants to and still go to the NFL after 3 years inactive. I bet a J. Clowny talent would still get drafted in that scenario. A player could go straight to the Arena League, Canadian League then enter the draft after 3 years. Playing college ball is simply the best option for going pro and your future is secured with an education if you are not one of the lucky 1%.

 

[BiggsCoug]

again, reading comp not your strong suit Biggs, so you're forgiven for ranting on against an argument that I certainly didn't make.

But good info.

Likewise.

 

[fingerdisco]

I’m not sure what you disagree with, that’s what I said. This is the perfect scenario for the NFL. I don’t think the NCAA has any recourse though or ever would, and why would the NFL subsidize the NCAA in any way when they don’t have to. They are in it for every dime, have you ever bought a beer at an NFL stadium? A player can sit out if he wants to and still go to the NFL after 3 years inactive. I bet a J. Clowny talent would still get drafted in that scenario. A player could go straight to the Arena League, Canadian League then enter the draft after 3 years. Playing college ball is simply the best option for going pro and your future is secured with an education if you are not one of the lucky 1%.

I took your comments as its a great model for both sides, where I see it being one-sided. If I misinterpreted, my mistake. And you're right, if you're the NFL and you're eating the bear rather than the bear eating you, of course you wouldn't want that to change. That's why the NCAA has to come up with some creative ways to coerce the NFL to pay their share--not sure what that might be, but surely somebody could come up with some ideas...lock up merchandising rights on college players that the NFL would have to purchase before they could start selling gear of drafted players? Not sure what the legalities with that would be, but something along those lines that could funnel some of that NFL money back to schools to help offset the costs of putting these kids on scholarship.

 

[chipdouglas]

It's been uglier here. Players going after each other openly on Twitter. Factions forming. I hear it's tense in the locker room.

It's no accident you are seeing players hitting the portal recently. It does seem worse here because we aren't seeing other teams implode over this.

Covid has presented a huge challenge to Rolovich and it's clear his "I love you guys" and "play for each other" message hasn't resonated with the current group. Actual practices and games would go a long way to build unity. This team needs an identity in the worst way and an alpha to enforce the culture.

If you were able to take an "average" of a P5 football player's background, I suspect it leans more "young Shaft" than "Boy Scouts." Even when it is Mayberry-esque, as a coach I wouldn't envy the task of wrangling up a bunch of egomaniacal alpha athletes and asserting my dominance. And that's the way it was before.

Now, add the prospect of money, add social media, add us vs. them race politics, and increasingly a total rejection of authority - this is Rolo's job now (and every other coach's). He has the additional challenge of being the new guy and trying to convert Leach's inventory, many of whom are unwilling to be converted. I don't envy him.

 

[425cougfan]

If you were able to take an "average" of a P5 football player's background, I suspect it leans more "young Shaft" than "Boy Scouts." Even when it is Mayberry-esque, as a coach I wouldn't envy the task of wrangling up a bunch of egomaniacal alpha athletes and asserting my dominance. And that's the way it was before.

Now, add the prospect of money, add social media, add us vs. them race politics, and increasingly a total rejection of authority - this is Rolo's job now (and every other coach's). He has the additional challenge of being the new guy and trying to convert Leach's inventory, many of whom are unwilling to be converted. I don't envy him.

Great post and agreed. Regarding the issues at play, though, I'd rather be Rolo taking over a roster of Leach players than Rolo trying to take over players coached by just about anyone else (other than a theoretical disciplinarian who didn't have the success or name value of Leach, I suppose).