I'll disagree again. If a player is so mentally weak that he quits on his team because he was challenged to elevate his play I don't want him on our team.
Devlyn Cousin transferring
- Thread starter Cyclones2
- Start date
I'll disagree again. If a player is so mentally weak that he quits on his team because he was challenged to elevate his play I don't want him on our team.
CycloneErik
Well-Known Member
Another track here:
If Cousins was here 3 years and the coaches never figured out how to motivate him, that's a leadership issue.
I don't want coaches spending time trying to figure out how to motivate a 3rd year guy. If he's going to quit because of this, peace. You can keep making excuses for him if you want, though.
A simple plan, no doubt. Works in the movies every time.
Mental weakness, or lack thereof, is built just as much as it is innate. It would be great if we could rely on just having a bunch of innately tough-minded SOBs, but in reality it is on the coaches to get the best from each player. A guy like Cousins quitting 3 years in just before the season is a failure on both the player and staff.
Sure, at some places "cutting the fat" can be sufficiently done with a chainsaw- other places it is a delicate act of motivation. High and/or critical turnover is ultimately on the coaches as much as it is on the "quitters" they bring in.
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CycloneErik
Well-Known Member
I've yet to make an excuse for him. I'm not a fan of walking out, either.
But, the point remains that he has specific coaches that should know how to motivate him by now. That apparently didn't happen. With what little info is out there, sounds like both parties failed over an extended time.
He shouldn't need someone to motivate him at this point in his career. He was plenty motivated last year playing though numerous injuries, but then come this year he gets beat out and gives up. That is the definition of being mentally weak. If he was mentally tough, he would have worked his *** off to try to regain the spot he lost, but no he would rather quit on his teammates. So good riddance.
CycloneErik
Well-Known Member
So a guy worked hard before and his leadership couldn't be bothered to find a way to get him back. Good riddance to them. That's poor management.
Devlyn Cousin evidently didn't care enough about the team to keep working hard and getting his spot back that he had been beaten out of.
That is a reflection of Devlyn Cousin and no one else.
IMO, that is more of a failure of Devlyn Cousin than anyone else. A guy like that will fold on the football field when faced with adversity. You can not coddle a player like that and just give them a position out of fear that they might quit.
Bear Bryant ........ The Juntion Boys
There never would have been a movie if Bear didn't know what he needed from his team to win on the field. If a player won't put out the effort that the coach needs in practice, he can't be counted on and doesn't deserve to see the field on game day.
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Given he quit and will burn a year of eligability to transfer to an FCS program for 1 year. His decision still baffles me. Why not transfer right away? Why not stick it out this season and see what happens if you don't play can't earn it back then transfer nothing is lost. Leaving the way he did gains him nothing and hurts his teammates. If that is his attitude I agree good riddance. While i agree with Swarthmore that a great coach doeant apply the one size fits all approach for motivation, if a player folds his hand and walks out because he got beat there isn't much you can do at that point. For all we know they tried, he gave his all and it wasn't enough. Too bad he didn't stick it out a season for his teammates though.
Yep, we are missing some info on what went on behind the scenes. Something happened besides he got lazy. The mere fact he wants to transfer to play more football tells me we have only part of the story.
Devlyn Cousin has used his redshirt. Only way he plays football is to go FCS or graduates from ISU and is allowed to play FBS as a graduate transfer.
Guys get beat out and transfer....See Phil Bates. Quit during the season rather than play out the season and then transfer. If Cousin really wanted to play football he would stay and play this fall and lose nothing. Instead he quit.
Are you or have you been a successful major college coach? Or at any level? You sure seem to think you know what it takes to coach for some anonymous nobody on a message board.
No...mental toughness is not built in short periods of time. It may be built over several years and usually traces back to their childhood.
You can get kids to play harder but it's all relative. A kid who isn't tough may give you a few plays harder than normal while the tough kid demonstrates it play after play.
Usually it is very hard to change that about individuals and often it is a waste of time in football. That's why I don't like recruiting players that show signs of shying away from contact.
"Couldn't be bothered" and you wonder why no one takes you seriously. You must have first hand knowledge to make that accusation.
Link? Where did you hear this?
All I know is that if he really did just up and quit right before the season started then I really don't understand why anybody would want him on the team. No more cancer please. We all saw what the bad eggs did to this teams mental state last year. Hopefully the Great Purge of 2014-15 is over but if there is more to expunge, I'm all for it. We can't move forward until the culture allows us to.
CycloneErik
Well-Known Member
I'm just offering a response to the classic dumping on the kid, like no one else plays a role in this thing.
In the version people were offering, that's a pretty fair interpretation.
As you know, due to his previous off the field issues/troubles, he was on a short string. Word given to me by someone who is closely connected to the program is that he did not attend any of his classes during the first week of school and when CPR got the report, he was called in about it and told that he'd crossed the line. I guess the messaging which was intended to cleanse the team of all the bad apples did not totally resonate with him if this is true. So, he hasn't earned the right to stay on this team it seems.
I just don't understand the logic of quitting the team when others beat you out on the depth chart. And then supposedly make the claim that you are going to transfer because you want to play football. IMO, you are either admitting you are not good enough or you just lack the guts to work harder through that adversity and win your spot back.
Devlyn Cousin loses this season no matter what if he quits. And it would make more sense for him to keep working and keep himself in football shape for his next destination. Kind of indicates a bad attitude.
Wow. That is not good. If Devlyn Cousin indeed do that, then it would be a lack of leadership by CPR to keep him ON the team. That kind of conduct can not be tolerated.
