Mac as a "motivator"

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Al_4_State

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I see a lot of talk about mac being a great motivator. He's a great guy with what seems to be an electric personality, but after thinking this through for awhile, I am having a hard time buying that he was that great of motivator. If you look at his teams over the years, I would say, if anything, there has been a major tendency to come out flat in big games. The first time this dawned on me was the A&M homecoming game in 2000. If I remember right, a ranked, yet very beatable A&M team came into Ames, on homecoming, and beat us pretty good. Granted, we still finished 9-3, but I remember thinking to myself during that game that we just looked flat, and uninspired in a situation where you would think we would just be jacked up and ready to sieze the day. Ever since then, I have noticed so many times were Mac's teams just don't seem to have the fire they needed, especially at the start of the game. Key examples: Oklahoma '02, Texas '02, Missouri '04, Missouri '05, Kansas '05, Nebraska '06 (well pretty much this whole season). Just to name a few. All were games that had they gone the other way, they could have done huge things for this program, yet it seems in all those games, and a others that don't come to mind, the team just didn't look that fired up. Outside of Iowa games, the only times I can really remember the team (under mac) being that fired up were Nebraska '02 and '04, and Colorado '05. It just seems to me, as you look over Mac's career there have been so many important games where the team has come out flat and gotten stomped, that I have to question why people think he is such a great motivator.
 

ISUFan22

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You can only motivate your team so much. After that, it's up to them to produce.

Did it ever occur to you that in big games we were just plain over matched?
 

Al_4_State

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in some of them, yes, but I've still seen overmatched teams come out with a lot of energy and play hard. I'm not talking about production, but coming out with passion energy, like Rutgers and Kansas State showed this weekend. I would argue that they both beat better teams, and their emotinal play was a huge part. I will not believe that Kansas State was evenly matched with Texas from a talent standpoint. That game was won on pure emotion, something I have NEVER seen a Mac coached team do.
 

Cyclone_Power

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Good points Al. I can't remember a game either where we came out and really outplayed a team with more talent than us. It seems that Mac is a really nice guy, but for some reason he never seemed to get that extra percent out of our guys to beat the tough competition.
 

ISUFan22

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Well, this year we're seeing very little fire from anyone because we're getting taken to the woodshed week in and week out. Not a viable excuse, but it's hard for anyone to get up for these games - you can see that in the fans too.
 

CYdTracked

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Well considering Mac has been at ISU 12 seasons (I think 8th longest in the country) and the coaches at KSU and Rutgers have been there how long? At some point the motivation techniques become a broken record and not as effective.

We all know people that are considered motivators that can motive 1 person but not the other. If this says anything about Mac as a motivator, one of my co-workers is a Hawkeye fan and heard Mac speak at some charity function. He said he felt like going out and tackling someone on the way out the door because Mac got him that excited with his talk.

It's hard to pin it all on motivation because Mac has gotten his teams up for some pretty big games where we were clearly over-matched talent-wise and either won or at least had a chance to win those games. Remember the year Iowa was 11-1 and that one loss was against us? Can't tell me he didn't get our boys fired up for that game!
 

Al_4_State

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Well considering Mac has been at ISU 12 seasons (I think 8th longest in the country) and the coaches at KSU and Rutgers have been there how long? At some point the motivation techniques become a broken record and not as effective.

We all know people that are considered motivators that can motive 1 person but not the other. If this says anything about Mac as a motivator, one of my co-workers is a Hawkeye fan and heard Mac speak at some charity function. He said he felt like going out and tackling someone on the way out the door because Mac got him that excited with his talk.

It's hard to pin it all on motivation because Mac has gotten his teams up for some pretty big games where we were clearly over-matched talent-wise and either won or at least had a chance to win those games. Remember the year Iowa was 11-1 and that one loss was against us? Can't tell me he didn't get our boys fired up for that game!

They're always fired up for Iowa. I noted that in the original post.
 

thunderdave

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Well considering Mac has been at ISU 12 seasons (I think 8th longest in the country) and the coaches at KSU and Rutgers have been there how long? At some point the motivation techniques become a broken record and not as effective.

We all know people that are considered motivators that can motive 1 person but not the other. If this says anything about Mac as a motivator, one of my co-workers is a Hawkeye fan and heard Mac speak at some charity function. He said he felt like going out and tackling someone on the way out the door because Mac got him that excited with his talk.

It's hard to pin it all on motivation because Mac has gotten his teams up for some pretty big games where we were clearly over-matched talent-wise and either won or at least had a chance to win those games. Remember the year Iowa was 11-1 and that one loss was against us? Can't tell me he didn't get our boys fired up for that game!
Excellent point!
 

CY ST8T

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This is stupid! Arguing if Mac is really a motivator is like arguing if he is really white also. I thought we had abandoned having to listen to the Dmac bashers, but now we have to listen to them kick him in the groin while he is down. Sorry, but come up with something worthwhile to talk about.
 

Klubber

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It always seemed to me during big games under Mac that we played almost scared. The Oklahoma game in '02 was an example. We lost that game in the first 5 minutes after Anthony Forrest tried to kick the ball out of the end zone after a blocked punt.

I always thought Mac's strategic approach to big games was partly to blame. His ultra conservative "play not to lose" mentality in large part cost us the Big XII North title the last two years. That type of approach can't instill confidence in your players.
 

Al_4_State

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It always seemed to me during big games under Mac that we played almost scared. The Oklahoma game in '02 was an example. We lost that game in the first 5 minutes after Anthony Forrest tried to kick the ball out of the end zone after a blocked punt.

I always thought Mac's strategic approach to big games was partly to blame. His ultra conservative "play not to lose" mentality in large part cost us the Big XII North title the last two years. That type of approach can't instill confidence in your players.

exactly... i'm not trying to kick the man while he's down, as I respect the things he has done, and I can think of many praise worthy titles to label him with, I'm just a little surprised that "motivator" is one, as the on-field results seem to say otherwise.
 

SpokaneCY

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If you say something enough times

people will take it as gospel. Master motivator, great recruiter, defensive genius, master of the ladies, etc....

Mac was the perfect hire at the perfect time but now we need a relief pitcher/closer to come in and nail it down....
 

JJ4ISU

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One of the main things I dislike about McCarney is that he (or his coordinator) has a tendency to not make good play calls. We're always blitzing at the wrong time or from the wrong direction. Or, we never do anything creative on offense or take chances or catch the other team off guard. And, have you seen Bret Meyer audible all year...I mean, how many times has the other team shown blitz, and we just run the play that was called? I'll stop now!
 

j4state

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Well considering Mac has been at ISU 12 seasons (I think 8th longest in the country) and the coaches at KSU and Rutgers have been there how long? At some point the motivation techniques become a broken record and not as effective.

That makes no sense. This isn't the NFL. Every year he gets a new batch of players to motivate. So why would he stop doing what is working? There is NO reason that Ron Prince should be getting more output out of his players than Danny Mac. Unfortunately, this is the case. (i.e. KSU vs. Texas, KSU vs. ISU, ISU vs. UNI, ISU vs. KU, ISU vs. UNLV, ISU vs. NU, ISU vs. Tech...)
 

Wesley

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One of the main things I dislike about McCarney is that he (or his coordinator) has a tendency to not make good play calls. We're always blitzing at the wrong time or from the wrong direction. I'll stop now!

Is that you Barney?
 

Wesley

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One of the main things I dislike about McCarney is that he (or his coordinator) has a tendency to not make good play calls. We never do anything creative on offense or take chances or catch the other team off guard. And, have you seen Bret Meyer audible all year...I mean, how many times has the other team shown blitz, and we just run the play that was called? I'll stop now!

Is that you, John?
 

darts180

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Well considering Mac has been at ISU 12 seasons (I think 8th longest in the country) and the coaches at KSU and Rutgers have been there how long? At some point the motivation techniques become a broken record and not as effective.

We all know people that are considered motivators that can motive 1 person but not the other. If this says anything about Mac as a motivator, one of my co-workers is a Hawkeye fan and heard Mac speak at some charity function. He said he felt like going out and tackling someone on the way out the door because Mac got him that excited with his talk.

It's hard to pin it all on motivation because Mac has gotten his teams up for some pretty big games where we were clearly over-matched talent-wise and either won or at least had a chance to win those games. Remember the year Iowa was 11-1 and that one loss was against us? Can't tell me he didn't get our boys fired up for that game!

OK Iowa in 2002(Seneca refused to let us lose that game), Fla St 2002 (Seneca tried to win that on his own), Okla.....oh right, well there was the game(s) against Tex....nope not those, oh how about Kansas St.....no we got whupped by them too, maybe Colora.....damn this is getting frustrating, I know Nebra....what's that, 3 years, shoot!!!

But hey we had success against the Hawks, made that a rivalry again.

The fact of the matter is that this team came slow out of the blocks consistently over the past 6 years.
 

darts180

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This is stupid! Arguing if Mac is really a motivator is like arguing if he is really white also. I thought we had abandoned having to listen to the Dmac bashers, but now we have to listen to them kick him in the groin while he is down. Sorry, but come up with something worthwhile to talk about.

Just how in the world is he down???? I am so sick of that nonsense from the Mac people.

The guy was given MORE opportunities to prove himself than ANY other coach in the country. HE CONTINUALLY CAME UP SHORT!!!!!!! No other school in the country would have stayed with him as long as Iowa State did. He has absolutely NO room to complain.

He is rich, and, according to him happily married, great family life, etc.
If he is down, with all that going for him, then maybe people need to get a new hero.
 

wgleason

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It always seemed to me during big games under Mac that we played almost scared. The Oklahoma game in '02 was an example. We lost that game in the first 5 minutes after Anthony Forrest tried to kick the ball out of the end zone after a blocked punt.

I always thought Mac's strategic approach to big games was partly to blame. His ultra conservative "play not to lose" mentality in large part cost us the Big XII North title the last two years. That type of approach can't instill confidence in your players.

I agree. I heard Farley's interview before the UNI game. He said something to the effect of "were going down there to win , we've got the talent to do it" not a quote but best I can remember. I thought I wish Mac would speak like that. He seems to put the competition on a pedistal and I believe it erodes confience more than motivates.

Same thing with sitting on the ball with 1:20 in 2nd qtr & 3 timeouts and 40 yards to get in fieldgoal range.
 

darts180

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You can only motivate your team so much. After that, it's up to them to produce.

Did it ever occur to you that in big games we were just plain over matched?

I am going to shock you ISU, I agree with your statement, we have been overmatched in a lot of the big games that I have talked about.

The problem with a lot of the Iowa State teams that we have seen over the past 12 years is that, at the first sign of adversity, they tend to fold. I think that is why Dan had the record against teams over .500 that he did.

How many of those dreadful games with Nebraska, or Oklahoma, or Kansas State, or....well shoot you get my point, that the other team gets the ball and scores quickly, and we follow it up with a quick 3 and out, or worse, a big turnover, and suddenly it's 14-0 before you finish your hotdog.

All the pacing and the clapping of hands in the world won't help if your team comes out timid.