Some videos of Jimbo Fisher getting after his players in practice have surfaced; the toughness he brings is exactly what Texas A&M football needed.
If there is one difference between him and Kevin Sumlin you could see from day one since Jimbo Fisher took over as the new head coach for Texas A&M football, it was his toughness.
Sumlin was definitely a player’s coach. He let his players have fun at practice. He employed an actual DJ to come play music. He let them off early sometimes to go to the movies. He didn’t get on them for mistakes, at least not in the way an old school coach would.
There is nothing wrong with this. There are some examples of player’s coaches who have been successful. However, the coaches who command respect from their players, like Nick Saban, Urban Meyer, Dabo Swiney, these guys have their teams competing for championships year in and year out.
It just works better when the coach is a coach on the field, not a friend.
It’s been a breath of fresh air to watch videos from practice. Here is one with several sound bites that open a window into how much he expects from his players every day. Below are those quotes.
"“Every play you touch the ball, it’s for a championship. When you get that mentality we’ll begin to have a chance”"
They are all my favorite quote. Literally all of them. But this one gives me goosebumps. Practice is about honing your craft and getting better every single day. This preaches that message and the players have to buy in if they want to win a championship.
"“Everybody wants to play, no one wants to work and do it right. Do it until we can’t do it wrong.”"
This quote, and the last part of it especially, is insight into how Texas A&M could be more mentally prepared to handle all in-game situations this year, which could prevent the late-season slide that has plagued the Aggies the last five seasons.
"“You better wake up if you wanna play around here. It ain’t like it used to be.”"
This is just an awesome quote. Get after ’em, coach.
The video linked above also featured an interview with coach with the guys from SEC Network. In it, they asked what the goal was for the program. Fisher’s answer was simple.
"“National Championship. Conference championship. SEC West championship. If I didn’t think we could accomplish those I wouldn’t have went [to A&M].”"
They also brought up the fact that everyone knows the details of Fisher’s monster contract and asked if it bothered him having that information be so public. Again, he proved his humility and answered it in the best way.
"“I didn’t get in the game for money. It’s great that I have it and it’s security for my family, but that’s not why I did it. My name is on this. Anything my name is gonna be on, we’re gonna try to be the best. That’s the way I was raised.”"
Jimbo Fisher’s toughness is exactly the kind of change that can rejuvenate the Texas A&M program. Now the players just have to accept and believe in that message.
Jeff Shull is the Site Expert for the Gig Em Gazette on FanSided. Follow him on Twitter, and be sure to follow the Gig Em Gazette on Facebook and Twitter.